Blood Moon
by Abby deSoto
Summary: Edward left, leaving Bella shattered. While trying to go on with life, she has a fateful run-in with Laurent and is bitten. This is what happens. Sorry about the re-post, but to conserve document space I had to combaine chapters.
1. Intro

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or it's characters, darn it! Twilight and it's original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

_**"... he is more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same..."**_  
><em><strong>~Emily Bronte<strong>_

**Intro:**

It would be years before I could look back on the events that made me who I am without bitterness, and longer still before I could bring myself to forgive.

From the time that I'd learned who and what the Cullen family was, I had thought of becoming one of them. I had dreamed my little teenage dreams of a life with Edward.

Then he left me. They had all left me.


	2. Chapters 1 & 2

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

**Chapter 1**

I was trying desperately to pick up the pieces and re-created a life for myself...A life without them in it.

I'm still not completely sure what special brand of insanity drove me to that place, but I'd decided to seek out the meadow where Edward and I had spent so much time together. What it would ultimately accomplish, who knows.

What I do know is that it was there that he found me.

It was there that he almost killed me.

I had wondered at the wisdom of leaving Laurent alive, even when he'd come to warn us about Victoria and James. I mean, if he'd turn on his companions that easily, he could do so again. Last I had heard of him, he'd been living the "vegetarian" lifestyle with the Alaskan vampires.

How wrong I was to assume that I didn't have anything to fear from him anymore.

He'd told me of his plan to track me for Victoria, and her plans for me. I had tried to bluff my way into an escape, but I think I'd known that it wasn't going to happen.

He rushed at me then, in that faster-than-humans-can-see speed. The pain as his teeth pierced my skin was blinding. I could almost feel the venom from his saliva start to course through my veins.

Then, as sudden as he'd come, he was gone.

It was only later that I found out that he was dead. The wolves had gotten him.

I vaguely remember being carried in strong arms, hearing the rush of the wind as the landscape whipped by me. Mostly, I remember feeling as if I were on fire. If I'd seen smoke rising from my limbs, I wouldn't have been surprised in the least.

I burned for three days. I thought I'd died and ended up in my own personal hell, similar to the pictures I'd seen in the picture books when my mom had gone through her religious phase.

Three hellish days later, I finished turning. The first sound I became aware of was a loud humming.

Afraid to move, I listened to that hum for a while, waiting for the burning to return. Instead, what I heard was the muffled clang of metal on metal and a familiar voice cursing.

Cautiously, I rose to my feet and took stock of my surroundings. I was in a small room that looked very masculine. The room stunk to high heaven, but it was somewhere familiar.

"Jacob," I breathed.

I made my way to the small window that allowed the bright sunlight into the room. I could see Jacob in the distance, working on his beloved car...

He was too far away for me to hear clearly, yet I had.

I held perfectly still and concentrated. Yes, I would hear him muttering to himself. The hum that I'd heard was the car's engine as he worked on it.

Curiosity had me holding my hand up to the rays of sunlight. My skin glittered as if made of granite.

Slowly, I took stock of what I knew.

Laurent had bitten me and the venom from his saliva had given me the transformation that I'd longed for. I wasn't a fragile human, I was something more. Yet, I wasn't prepared.

I hadn't come up with a plan. I had no idea of what I'd tell Charlie or Renee. I had no one to help me adjust to this life. I had no one to help me learn to hunt...

The thirst hit me then, and I knew I had to get away. Far away. Before I hurt Jacob or his family.

Quickly, I made my way through the house, and threw myself out the front door. I saw Jacob's head pop up, and heard him curse once more as his head hit the raised hood of his car.

Not wanting to stop and take the chance that I'd attack him, I ran toward the woods in the distance. I reached the edge of the wooded area faster than I'd thought possible, and continued to run. There was a freedom in the running, and the feeling was so exhilarating that I'd almost forgotten what I was running for.

Not entirely clear on the technique, I literally tore into the first animal that I came across.

The deer tried to fight me, but with my Newborn strength, it was a wasted effort. I went through three more before I reached a state that I felt I could stop and not be a threat to anyone. I stopped and sat back on a fallen log. Now that I actually could think, I needed to.

A large wolf came cautiously from the woods. I held myself perfectly still. The thirst was still causing me discomfort, and I didn't want to take it out on more innocent animals. The wolf slowly retreated, and within moments, Jacob came running into the area that I'd found myself.

"Jake?"

"Bella, Jesus. What were you thinking, running off like that?" He said.

"Jake...what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." I said, still afraid that a part of me wanted nothing more to get more blood somewhere.

He slowly held his hands out. "I only want to help Bella."

"You can't possibly know what you're offering," I sobbed. He needed to leave, why didn't he understand that? Couldn't he see that I was different?

"I might know a little more than you give me credit for," he said, a little bitterness tingeing his voice. "Charlie thinks you need some time away, and that you're staying with us out here on the rez. I couldn't bring myself to tell him that you'd died or anything, so you'll still have to deal with that, but I'll try to help you with everything else."

"You can't help me," I said. "The only people who could are gone, and I don't know where to find them."

"I can help you." He was pleading with me now, "Please, Bells, let me help."

"What do you think I am?" I asked, suspiciously.

With a long sigh, Jacob looked at my face closely. "You're one of the Cold Ones. A Vampire."

I stared at him. "How...How do you know about that?"

Jacob ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Just...give me a minute so I can think of how to explain."

And so he went on to explain about the wolves, and how he was one of them. They were "made" to hunt and destroy vampires. He was, however, prepared to break from the pack in order to take care of me. He wasn't going to allow the pack to harm me, especially when it wasn't my choice. As long as I continue to be no danger to the humans in and around their reservation or Forks, they'd have no reason to come for me.

To say I was shocked would be the understatement of the century.

We sat like that, talking until the sun sank behind the mountains. And still, we sat together. I came to realize that there was no way for me to survive on my own, at least not right now. At some point in the future, I would have no choice, but for now...

The next few days were spent with Jacob, in wolf form, teaching me how to hunt without making so much of a mess or being noisy. I was finally getting the hang of it, which was good, considering I was thirsty all the time.

After a week of holding Charlie at bay, I finally had to figure out a way to go home. Being that I had spent so much time between visiting Jacob on the reservation and in my room, it was easy to continue that pattern and stay out from under Charlie's watchful gaze. I spent most of the money that I had left in my bank account on brown contacts to hide the bright red eyes that all Newborns have. Luckily, my eyes were slowly fading to gold...but I was still using the contacts, just in case it was too much of a change, too fast.

Finally, I managed to make my way through the remainder of High school, and made plans to go to a college that was far enough away from both Charlie and Renee that I'd be able to continue keeping contact with them for a while without them noticing the changes (or lack of them).

I tried to convince Jacob to stay behind, but he followed me anyway. Secretly, I was grateful for his company even if I did feel guilty. I knew he had feelings for me, but I just couldn't return them. Especially not now.

Before we left to move across the country, we sat down and actually talked the situation through. He knew that I thought of him only as a friend, and even if he hoped for more, he settled for friendship.

I was so happy to have someone familiar near me.

Even if he did smell rather strongly of dog.

I was able to keep up that ruse for almost five years. I went to a small college in Maine, mostly night classes to avoid the sunlight, and graduated with a degree in science. It meant the world to me to see both Renee and Charlie together, and so proud of me. At least I got to give them that.

Within the month, I walked away from my life, and attempted to simply disappear.

Jacob helped me a lot in that time.

Renee died in a car accident two years later, and I mourned her from a distance. I was afraid that I'd be recognized, so I didn't go to her memorial.

The pack kept us up to date on Charlie's health and activities, and through them I was able to feel connected (however distant) to him. I was told when he started getting grey hair. When he got sick, and, eventually, when he died. He never stopped trying to find me.

Again, I mourned from a distance.

Jacob's father died shortly after mine, and I hope I was some comfort to Jacob. He posed as his own cousin and went to the funeral.

A good forty years had passed by that time. I can't really be sure, as time had ceased meaning anything to me.

I had not aged a day, and neither had Jacob.

It took us both a while to realize that as long as he was in close proximity to a vampire, that he wouldn't age. I begged him to go home, try to find someone and start the family that I knew he wanted.

A few years later, he finally went. I kept in touch, and even got photos from his wedding. Years later, his letters started including pictures of his children.

I was happy for him, but I kept feeling like I'd been left behind again.

I moved around here and there, passing myself off as an emancipated minor. I got rather good at creating new identifications for myself, using names and documents for people who were around my age who had passed away.

Finally, Jacob wrote to me that it was time to come home. Everyone who could have possibly recognized me was either dead or knew my secret (the remaining few members of the wolf pack).

It took me a while to decide, but finally I agreed with him.

It was time to go home.

**Chapter 2**

Altogether, I'd been gone roughly 80 years. It was amazing just how little Forks had changed.

Oh, there were new buildings, new faces, and even Charlie's house had been updated...but it was still the same small town.

Luckily, it was still as cloud covered and rainy as ever.

I drove through Forks, and made a stop at the reservation first. Jacob, with his hair greying and surrounded by family was as welcoming as ever. He rushed forward to embrace me as an old "family friend", and introduced me to his wife and children. I was given a guest room for the night, which was interesting now that I didn't sleep anymore. It gave me time to reflect on how to proceed here.

The next day, he helped me by renting a house on the outskirts of Forks that bordered on the forest so that I'd have easier access to hunting. He passed me off as a distant cousin, and even managed to help me get registered for school. I was nervous to go by a name so similar to my human name, but by the end of my second day, I was officially registered as Ella Jane Brown.

I guess that was to make it easier on himself...in case he slipped and called me 'Bella'. I had to smile at that.

The first few weeks went by in a blur of boredom and fuzzy memories from the past. I began to understand why the Cullens always appeared so bored in these classes. I'd gone through enough science, English and math classes to fill a lifetime. I was also fluent in both Spanish and French by now, so I signed up for German language classes just for something new.

By week two, I'd gotten to know a few of my classmates, and even had a small group that I regularly sat with in the lunch room.

By week three, I was comfortable enough to hang out with one or two after school.

After the first month, I was in a comfortable routine of day-to-day living. I divided my time equally between school and hanging out at the reservation. Jacob warned me that a few of the younger members of the tribe were showing signs of changing into wolves, and made sure that he (as an elder) singled them out to talk to them about what was happening.

Heck, we'd even drawn up a treaty between the tribe and myself. No boundaries, just that I'd not feed or cause harm to humans, and they'd leave me alone. I got to meet the potential wolves before they'd be told who and what I was, and they were all nice enough kids.

It was in the second month of attending Forks High School, and I admit that my mind had wandered a bit, when I thought I'd seen a familiar face in the crowded hallways. I hurried after them, but with the bustling student population and the bell about to ring, it was a bit like swimming against a tide.

By the time I got to where I'd seen them, they were gone.

Shaking my head, I tried to write it off as a hallucination.

That night, Jacob's youngest son, Reese, took a spill on his bike and broke his arm. I rode with him in the back while Jacob and his wife rode in the front. Normally, they'd have gone to the reservation's doctor, but there were two women in labor, and the doctors had their hands full.

So it was off to the Forks hospital we were.

We were checked in, and the night nurses checked him over. An intern wrapped the arm, and administered some pain medication.

We were only waiting on the doctor to come and sign the release papers so that everyone could go home.

I sat in a corner while the family fidgeted impatiently, not sure why I felt so out of sorts, when the doctor finally came in.

"I'm sorry for the wait," A familiar voice said, "I'll just look over Dr. James' work, and we can get you all home."

I lowered my head, terrified to raise it. I was afraid that I was imagining the voice, and scared that I wasn't. This couldn't be happening. What were the odds?

"Yes, doctor," Jacob all but growled. "My family and I would like to leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, well..." The doctor seemed to be at a loss, and sounded startled.

Trying to remain unnoticed, I took a peek through my newly cut bangs. It was Carlisle, all right.

Damn.

Fighting the urge to run screaming into the night, I remained still.

Carlisle ran through the instructions for the care and treatment of the arm while it was encased in the cast, and turned to leave. I saw him hesitate, glance in my direction and frown. He was discreet enough to not directly call me out as another vampire, but he didn't like the fact that I was there. He was probably worried that I was luring this family to their death or something. As soon as he left the room, I raised my panicked eyes to Jacob.

"I have to get out of here," I said quietly. "Now."

Jacob nodded his understanding, and pointed to the small window in the examination room. "Hurry," was all he said.

Hurry I did.

I was out the window and across town in a flash, and moments later, I was running up the long wooded drive to my house. This couldn't be happening. This absolutely couldn't be happening. I'd just gotten settled, and didn't want to move again so soon.

But could I really stay, and see them all again?


	3. Chapters 3 & 4

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

**Chapter 3**

Jacob talked me out of leaving. He gave me one of those, "if you run away, they win," speeches that he'd gotten so damn good at.

I think that's what did it. I was still hurt over how they'd just left, never looked back or so much as wrote a letter to me. I couldn't just let them run me out of the last place I'd felt like I had a home.

With that mantra going through my head, I marched in to school that Monday with a purpose. No way in hell was I going to leave because of them. If they didn't like it, tough.

That lasted until lunchtime. Like a picture from the past, there they all were, sitting around the same lunch table that they'd dominated the year I'd met them. I got my customary green salad (that was easy to fake eating...like all females, I could claim I was constantly on a "diet" and not eat much), and sat with my friends.

I couldn't help but glance at them once in a while, though. Rosalie was a beautiful as ever. Emmett still had that lovable, cocky smirk. Jasper looked a little extra pained, but still normal. Alice, still rocking that short, jagged haircut, was as cute as ever.

Then there was Edward. It gave me a twisted sense of satisfaction that he looked a little worse for wear. He'd always been broody, but he looked borderline hostile at the world. He looked like he'd never smiled.

I tried not to care, but my heart gave a little wrench at the thought of him being unhappy.

I tore my gaze away and tried to focus on my friends and their conversation. Unfortunately, it centered around the "new kids" and the new doctor who'd joined the close-knit community only a few days earlier.

Slowly, I got their names. They were going by the last name of Williams now, and their names were all the same.

I felt like laughing. Here I was, changing my name so often I had a hard time remembering what it was, and they only changed their last name.

The bell rang to signal the end of lunch. There was a rush of people getting to their feet to empty their trays, and I joined the crowd. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward's head swing around. I wasn't sure if he'd seen me, but he was scanning the crowd intently.

Inwardly, I sighed. I wouldn't be able to stay hidden forever, but I was not looking forward to what was coming.

It was during the last class of the day that it occurred to me that I should use their ignorance of my presence and reintroduce myself on my terms. After all, if I had control, I wouldn't feel quite so helpless.

Luckily, my last class was in the room closest to the doors leading to the parking lot. I gathered my things and made my way out.  
>It wasn't difficult to figure out which cars were theirs. In a small town this size, the newest cars stood out. I walked over, and feigned interest in what was in my backpack. I saw them come out in a pack, and make their way towards me. As they were getting in the cars, girls in one, boys in the other, I walked up behind Alice.<p>

"We need to talk," I said harshly.

"Wha...," She turned around and gasped. It wasn't often that someone got the drop on Alice, so the fact that she didn't see me coming was a bit of a shock for both of us.

She blinked twice, then whispered, "Bella?"

"We need to talk," I said again. "Not here, not now, but soon."

"Sure."

"Remember the field where you played baseball?"

She nodded slowly.

"I'll meet you there tonight." I started walking away, and then added, "All of you."

I didn't stick around to see what happened next. I climbed into my car, and drove slowly from the lot.

**Chapter 4**

I got to the clearing early. The sun was still up. I paced, trying to work my nerves out before they got there. I had a few memories from this place, both good and bad.

I wasn't sure which ones bothered me more.

When the sounds of approaching vehicles reached me, I sat calmly on the hood of my car. I watched with feigned indifference as they got out of the car. True to her word, Alice had rallied the troops. They were all there.

"Bella!" Esme called, hurrying toward me. "How is it you're...?" She drifted off and came to a standstill as I leveled my angry gaze at her.

"Don't pretend to care," I snarled. "At least give me that much."

"But..." she looked helplessly toward her family.

"I think," Carlisle said, walking close to put a comforting arm around Esme's shoulders, "We'd all like to know what happened to you. How is it that you're a vampire?"

I tilted my head and leveled my gaze at him now. "I met an old acquaintance. He meant to kill me, but a friend saved me. You remember Laurent, don't you?"

Carlisle grimaced.

"Yeah," I laughed humorlessly. "I thought you might."

"We were told that you were all right," Alice stepped forward now. "You'd gone off to college and even graduated."

"Sure I did. I had to keep up appearances for a while." I said. "That's one of two lessons that I learned from your family."

"What was the other?" Emmett asked, cautious now.

"Not to care," I sneered, looking at Edward, who was looking shell shocked, but still hadn't said a word. "Look," I said, looking back at Carlisle, "I'm not here to step on any toes, expose you or anything else. I came to be close to a friend for a while, then I'll move on. Can we just ignore each other?"

Carlisle nodded slowly. "Of course."

"We'd never do anything to hurt you," Esme said quietly.

"Riiiight," I said, drawing the word out with so much venom, even Jasper cringed. "I guess it's a little late for that one, but I'll take what I can get for now."

Gracefully, and with a feigned calm that I sure wasn't feeling, I climbed down from the hood of my sporty little car, and went to open the door.

"Bella," Edward called out.

There it was, that voice that I'd loved so much. I remembered that voice speaking pretty, loving words...and then telling me how little I really mattered to him.

"Don't," I snarled, turning 80 years worth or hurt and anger on him. "I haven't been 'Bella' for quite some time. And don't bother pretending to care. You lost that right when you said you didn't want me and left me here, alone, in the woods. Hell, you all left me. Couldn't even be bothered with poor, pitiful Bella to even pick up a phone. I wandered in the woods for hours, hoping to find you and beg you to take me with you. I wanted to be one of you so badly," I shook my head, "As it turns out, all you had to do was leave me for a few months, and I became a vampire anyway. Only I didn't have the luxury of having someone with me to help me. I was left alone to figure everything out." I took a step towards him, then another. "When Laurent attacked me, I hoped for death. I burned for three days, and prayed that I'd die. Anything to end the emptiness that you caused. God," I sneered, "I can't believe that I was ever that weak and naive. But those days are over and gone, and I'll be damned if I'll give you a second chance to hurt me like that again."

Edward's face went blank, and he stood straight and still. He nodded once to show he understood, never taking his eyes off of my face.

Turning, I took them all in one more time. "I loved you all once, but I just can't.." I shook my head, not wanting to show them any more emotions than I'd already shared.

I got into my car, and drove away, making sure I was out of sight before I pulled over and tearlessly cried.


	4. Chapters 5 & 6

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or it's characters, darn it! Twilight and it's original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

**Chapter 5**

The next day was school as usual, and a part of me wished I'd called in sick and spent the day at the reservation with Jacob's family.

That was the coward's way, though.

I'd had to learn to be stronger after becoming a vampire, and I wasn't going to break that now...But how I dreaded lunch.

As it turned out, there was now a Cullen in all of my classes. Jasper in history, Rosalie in home economics, Alice in math, Emmett in gym, and (joy of joys) once again I had Edward in my advanced biology lab. Thank the Gods, I already had a partner so there wouldn't be a repeat of that fiasco.

Once again, the Cullens were the topic of choice at lunch. I picked at my salad, and tried to ignore the chatter.

"He's so cute!"

"They're all so perfect!"

"Hey, are they dating?"

"I wonder why that Edward kid is so angry."

"That Alice is a little weird..."

Disgusted, I got up to throw my salad away, and decided to go outside for a walk. It was overcast, like always, but at least it wasn't raining.

"Bell, er, Ella?"

With a sigh, I turned around. Alice stood just a few feet away, looking a little unsure of herself.

"What?" I said, sounding about as weary as I felt.

"I just thought I'd let you know that they're doing the blood typing thing in biology this afternoon. In case you wanted to skip out."

"I don't really have a problem being around blood anymore." I said dismissively. "Not human blood, anyway. Never really did."

"Oh," She said. "All right."

She turned to go, and suddenly, I felt like I'd kicked a puppy. Alice had always been my favorite Cullen, other than Edward, and damn if I didn't still miss that closeness.

"Hey, Alice," I called out. "Thanks for the heads up anyway."

She gave me a small smile over her shoulder, and went back inside the lunchroom.

Well, damn. That resolve of mine didn't last very long, now, did it?

Suddenly, faking an illness and going to the res didn't sounds so bad. A few coughs and a fake gag later, I was in my car and heading out of town. Jacob met me on his porch.

"Well, look who the wolves drug in?"

I groaned. "You _would _make a joke like that. It's a little sick."

He grinned that familiar grin, and I had to laugh.

"Want to meet the new pack?" He asked. "They should be familiar with your scent so that they don't accidently track you some night."

I shrugged. "What the hell. I don't want to be a chew toy, so I guess I'd better."

He cringed. "Ouch."

A short while later, and I was running through the woods, hunting for food side by side with three large wolves. It turned out that Jacob's oldest son, Gabe, had been the first to turn. With him were two of his friends, Chris and Marcus. Sure, I could have gone hunting alone, but I didn't really feel like being alone today. After I'd fed, I sat on a boulder and watched as the three wolves wrestled and played together. I was laughing and enjoying myself, when Gabe decided that I needed to take a more active part. He charged and rolled me, wrestling playfully.

One moment, I was face down with him standing on my back, and the next he was sailing through the air.

"What..." That's all I got out before there was a rushing sound, growls and hissing. I looked up to see Esme, Alice and Emmett standing between me and the wolves.

"No," I screamed, and rushed to stand between the two groups. "Don't hurt them!" I screamed at the Cullens. To the wolves, I yelled for them to go home, that I was safe and I'd check in with them later that night. While they didn't go home, they did retreat to the edge of the small clearing, but they kept watch over the Cullens and I.

"What were you doing?" I yelled at the Cullens. "They weren't going to hurt me!"

"Uh, yeah," Emmett said, scratching his head. "I guess I'm seeing that."

"How did you end up friends with a pack of wolves?" Esme wondered.

Alice looked frustrated. "I can't see anything with you and them."

"Well, stop watching me!" I snapped.

Emmett chuckled.

"Now, what?" I asked, getting frustrated myself.

"Can I call you 'Dances with Werewolves?" He asked with a grin.

Alice reached up and hit him in the shoulder.

Esme closed her eyes and shook her head.

I stared at him a moment before I simply couldn't help myself. I laughed.

"Only you could come up with something that lame, and make it funny." I said.

He shrugged.

"We thought they were going to attack you." Esme said.

"No, we were just messing around." I gestured to the small pack, "We thought it would be a good idea for them to get used to my scent so that they don't accidently attack me when I'm out hunting."

Alice looked puzzled. "How is it that you're friends with a wolf pack?"

I shrugged. "A friend of mine shifted just before I was bitten. He's actually one of the pack that killed Laurent. He's the one who helped me for so long, I guess we both taught each other how to adapt to our new lives."

Alice looked suprised. "So that's why I suddenly couldn't see you. I can't see anything having to do with the wolves. That's why I didn't see your attack, or what happened after. You've been around the wolves for a while, haven't you?"

"Yeah," I said.

Esme looked sad. "I would have come and gotten you, if I'd only known. It couldn't have been easy."

"It was Hell," I said. "Jacob helped me out for a long time, so I was never really alone until about 30 years ago." I stopped and thought about that. "God, I remember when I dreaded my 18th birthday, and now I'm talking about being almost a hundred years old." I shuddered.

Alice grinned. "I stopped counting after 50."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, these wolves are my friends, so if you could avoid hurting them in the future, that would be greatly appreciated."

The Cullens all nodded.

I motioned for the wolves to come closer. They snarled and made a big show, but I think they were too curious to really do any damage. "This is the Cullen family...some of them, anyway. This is the family your tribe has the treaty with."

They growled in what I hoped was acknowledgement.

"Well," I said, suddenly at a loss, "I hate to break up the party, but I'd better get these kids home."

"All right, Bella." Esme said.

"Glad you're not still trying to rip our heads off," Emmett threw in.

"Bella," Alice started, then she simply held her arms out. "I know it's too little, and way too late, but I'm sorry. I should have realized that something wasn't right."

I shook my head. "It wasn't your job to watch me. You still should have written, e-mailed, called...or something."

"I know. Edward convinced us that we would do more harm than good contacting you, and I believed him. You were hurt when we left, I know that, but I didn't see how contacting you would make it any better. I still should have." She shook her head sadly. "I thought of you as a sister once, and I'm hoping that the Bella I know isn't buried so deep that you can't forgive me someday."

If my vampire body could have called up tears, I'd have cried a little at that. Instead, I found myself stepping into the offered hug. Was I still hurt, yes. Was I still angry, sure. But I'd still missed my friend, and longed for the comfort that I'd once found with her.  
>Suddenly Esme and Emmett were there too, and it turned into one big happy family embrace.<p>

For the first time in longer than I cared to admit, I felt like a little piece of myself, a piece I hadn't known was missing, fell back into place. I wasn't ready to completely forget the hurt and anger from their abandonment long ago, but maybe I was just ready to let a little of it go...

For now...

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I'd finally come home.

**Chapter 6**

I mended my relationship with the Cullen family slowly, and was even able to think back on my "before vampire" life with considerably less of the familiar hurt and pain that it used to bring. I still couldn't look at, speak to or speak about Edward, however. That was the deepest wound, and probably the one that would take the longest to heal.

More and more wolves were joining the pack on the res, and I became their unofficial "Vamp" mascot. As soon as another wolf pack member joined, I was contacted to come meet them. They were 12 members strong...the largest in the Quileute's history.

Jacob voiced his worries over why this group was so large, and I had nothing to offer in way of an explanation except that maybe it was because I was spending so much time around the reservation.

It didn't even cross my mind that there was something else coming.

Something else that would cause a mass break-out of the shifting tribe.

I was living in a state of happy ignorance, in a way. Perhaps it was being back in Forks again, but I became relaxed and not as obsessively on guard as normal.

The Cullens and I had settled into an uneasy state of tolerance. We could be friendly towards one another, yet still keep enough of a distance between us that I was able to live with. Things seemed as if they were finally settling down.

That should have been the first sign that something was wrong.

It was lunch time. I wasn't feeling like being social, so I put my iPod earphones in and pretended to be texting on my phone. In all honesty, the iPod wasn't on and I wasn't really doing anything with the phone, but the fact that I had them visibly in hand seemed to discourage people from interrupting my solitude.

I had started carrying a phone because it gave me something to fidget with in order to maintain the "I'm human" facade. Most people don't realized it, but humans rarely hold completely still...and when they actively try to hold still, it's so out of the ordinary that it will actually make other humans uneasy. After becoming a vampire, Jacob worked with me constantly, reminding me to move. To this day, I'm still not sure if it was for my education or if it had simply been driving him crazy.

Mid-fake-text, my cell phone rang. I hurried to silence the ringer and checked the caller ID. "Black, Jacob," it said.

Frowning, I tucked the phone in my pocket. For him to call during school hours, something must be going on. I pulled up the hood on my sweatshirt, and walked outside into the slightly muggy afternoon. Quickly, I dialed Jacob's number and waited impatiently for an answer.

"Bells?"

"Yeah, Jake," I said. "What's up?"

"Something's going on that I think you need to hear about." The worry in his voice resonated in my head. Jake _never _worried, and he sure never called me when I was in school.

"Sure," I replied. "What's going on? Pack business?"

"I think you need to come to the reservation. _**Now**_."

"Alright," I said, quickening my step. "I'm on my way to my car right now, and I'll be there in a few minutes."

"See you soon," He said, sounding slightly relieved. "Drive safe, but get here."

Instead of responding, I simply hung up. I fished my keys out of my jeans, and was on my way out of the parking lot in moments.

Just before the school was out of sight, I thought I'd caught sight of a familiar figure in my rearview mirror. Standing outside the large double-doors leading to the school, watching me go, was Edward.


	5. Chapters 7 & 8

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or it's characters, darn it! Twilight and it's original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

**Chapter 7**

Putting my dreaded Ex out of my mind, I drove quickly towards the Quileute reservation. After only breaking a few speed limits, I pulled in to Jacob's driveway in record time.

I forced myself to move at human speed, and ran to the front door. I heard the conversation going on from the front porch, but decided that to just sit there and eavesdrop was rude.

I knocked, and Jacob's wife, Catherine, opened to door and invited me in. The smell of a wood fire, cinnamon rolls and coffee wafted out of the open door. They were nice homey smells, reminding me of being human and curling up on the sofa on rainy afternoons. The smells didn't quite make my mouth water like it once had, but the memories that they recalled were welcome.

The feeling didn't last long, as I caught a glimpse of the frown on Catherine's face. She told me where the group was, Then slowly made her way back towards the kitchen.

I followed the voices, and knocked on the closed office door.

Jacob answered the knock, releasing a frustrated breath. "Thank you for coming. Maybe you can help me make sense of what the kids are talking about."

I nodded, "All right, old man. Sit down before you break a hip."

Jacob glared at me, and I just grinned. There were a few snickers that were clumsily covered up with a round of fake coughs.

I glanced around at the young pack members in the room. Peter Uley, 17 year-old twins Micah and Nathaniel Clearwater, Avery Ateara, and Derek Call. All were great kids, and all were direct descendents of the wolf pack Jacob had been a part of so long ago.

There was so much tension in the room, I simply couldn't resist trying to lighten the mood. "Okay," I said, "What happened to get your tail in a knot?"

"Bells," He said warningly. Then, "Avery, tell her."

Avery, a petite 16 year old female, immediately stood up and nodded a greeting at me. "I was running along the Northern border about two hours ago, when I caught the scent of an unfamiliar vampire." She looked to her right, and spoke to Micah. "Micah was with me, and we decided to check it out, just in case it was a vamp that wasn't part of a treaty with us."

I frowned. "Who was it?"

Avery shrugged, "I don't know. They took one look at us, then ran in the other direction."

Jacob looked at both Avery and Micah, "You both have been introduced to the Cullens and Bella, so you' d have their scent. If you find an unfamiliar scent, you're supposed to let the others know."

Micah nodded, elbowing Avery so that she'd agree as well. "We know, and we should have, but we would have felt like failures at lookout if we'd called out the pack on a wild goose chase over one of the Cullens that we hadn't met yet."

Jacob nodded, "Even so, please contact us next time."

"Yes, sir," They chorused.

"OK, ok," I said, stepping between the teens and Jacob. Jacob was trying to go all Alpha on them, which would work on the wolves, but wouldn't appeal so much to their human side. "Down boy," I said.

"Can the dog jokes," Jacob grumbled quietly.

"Can't," I said, shrugging. I wasn't trying to make him mad, but I looked like I was still a teen, I hung out with teens all day, and I thought I'd have a better chance at relating to the kids through humor than frustration.

I was rewarded with smiles all around.

"all right guys," I said, sitting on the arm of the nearest chair, "Tell me what else happened."

"Just what Avery said," Micah said. "We came up on them, and they took off."

"Did they say anything? What did they look like?" I asked, trying to get to the reason that I'd been called out here.

"There were three of them," Avery started. "Two men and a woman."

"The guys were both dark complected with dark hair," Micah supplied.

"And the lady had bright red hair," Avery said.

I felt a jolt of recognition go through me. "No way," I said, shaking my head. "No friggin' way."

Glancing at Jacob, I saw him rub both his hands over his face wearily. He looked me in the eyes and seemed to silently dare me to deny it.

"Well, hell," I said. "Just what I need to make a reunion complete."

Victoria. And it sounded like she wasn't alone.

**Chapter 8**

"Avery, you said it was only two hours ago?" I asked.

Avery, sensing that something important was going on, even if she didn't understand it, nodded. "Yes. Well, about two and a half hours, now."

I hurried to the door, shouting to the pack behind me. "Contact the rest of the pack. I need as many pack members as possible to meet me at the Northern border. If it was so short a time ago, hopefully we can still catch them!"

I heard Jacob shouting orders of his own, but I didn't stick around to listen. I was out the door, and running as fast as I could north. "Damn, damn, double damn," I muttered to myself. This couldn't have happened at a worse time.

Sure, I had the pack behind me...while I definitely had the element of surprise behind me there; they were all still so young and untrained. Avery said she'd seen two other vampires with Victoria, but who knew if that was all she was travelling with these days.

"Damn," I said one more time...just for good measure.

I heard the pack coming up behind me, and spared them a quick look. Granted, I didn't take the time to count them, but it sure looked like there was at least half of the pack already.

Hopefully the others weren't that far behind.

Looking ahead once more, I strained every one of my enhanced vampire senses trying to find something pointing to Victoria.

We all came to an abrupt stop at the Northern borderline. The smallest of the wolves, and petite brown and white wolf that I recognized as Avery, separated herself, and began sniffing around. Suddenly, she raised her head, and whimpered.

The others started forward at a run, and that's all the confirmation that I needed.

We raced onward, me following slightly behind as they tracked the remaining vampire that still haunted my thoughts. James and Laurent had been dealt with, but Victoria had always been in the back of my mind. I'd always wondered about her.

The thoughts were always _when _she'd show up, not _if_. It was never a question that she'd have to be dealt with, but the timing of it was a total mystery to me.

Now that time had come. All I could hope for was that the pack had enough practice, and that no one would get seriously injured or killed.

One minute I was running, and the next I was flat on my back with a strong arm around my throat.

"Call off your dogs," a heavily French accented voice demanded into my ear.

The wolves snarled nearby, and I waved them back a step or two.

The person on my back slowly rose to his feet, dragging me upright with him. "I mean no harm to this one," He said, "But I will kill her if you come closer."

The wolves, unsure of how to proceed, stayed back.

"I'm going to release you now. Please behave."

_Yeah, right..._

His arm slowly retracted, and pulled away. I turned to face him, ready to fight.

Before me was a tall, olive-skinned vampire. He was one of those perfect-hair-and-teeth guys that just reeks of an aristocratic background. With his black hair and blood-red eyes, he made an imposing picture, but he had his hands held out in a sign of truce.

"You are the one called, Bella, are you not?"

I gave the barest of nods. "Who are you and what do you want?" I asked.

"I am Emmanuel, of the southern France Nomads." He actually bowed.

"And that should mean something to me...why?" I asked impatiently.

"Recently, we were approached by a woman claiming that she knew the identity of those responsible for the killing of a former clan-mate of ours." He said, straightening up once more. "Alexandre and I joined her."

"O.K..."

He looked at me pityingly, probably thinking I was a little slow in the thinking department. Honestly, that's a little how I felt. One moment I was running through the woods, looking for Victoria, and the next...

_Oh, hell..._

"Let me guess," I said, warily, "Victoria."

"Yes."

"So," I said, "Why tell me this? Surely you didn't stop to fill me in on all this out of the goodness of your heart. Victoria's a raging psychopath, and never does anything without a reason."

"That is true," He said, nodding his head. "She has plans of her own, but little that seems to do with my reason for joining her. She left me behind to give you a message."

"And that is?"

"She said, 'You took my family, so I'll take yours.'" He frowned. "She has an agenda beyond what she had told us, and I do not agree with it."

"Uh, huh." I was not impressed. "So why pass on her message?"

He shook his head, "This is not my fight. I have no wish to exact revenge on innocents, and that is what she insists on doing. Those who killed our Laurent are dead, and yet she goes on."

I had to focus. "What did she mean by my family?" I asked. "My family is gone."

"There is one that you think of as family," He stated. "A Jacob Black."

I froze. "What?"

"She insisted that we take Mr. Black as insurance that you would come and face her." He motioned towards the snow-capped mountains in the distance. "He is there, with her. They are waiting for you."

"So, where does that leave you in all of this?" I snarled.

He actually retreated a step. "I have no quarrel with you or Mr. Black. I have no knowledge of Victoria's plans for you. All I do know is that this is not what I agreed to. I stayed to give you the message, for I felt that you needed what little information that I know. I want nothing more than to go home."

The snarls of the wolves surrounding him let him know their thoughts on that plan.

"I've heard this protest before." I said, angrily. "Laurent said something similar once, just before he turned around and betrayed us all."

I turned to look at Gabe, Jacob's eldest son. "Go to the house, I'll be right behind you."

Gabe let out a protesting whine, appearing torn as to whether to stay or go.

"Go," I yelled, and he turned to start running.

"All of you join us at the Black house as soon as you can." I turned to Russell, the oldest and most experienced of them all. "He's all yours," I said.

I turned and ran after Gabe, the sound of snarls, screaming and the grinding sound of a vampire being torn apart followed me.


	6. Chapters 9 & 10

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

**Chapter 9**

The house looked like a bomb had gone off.

Windows were shattered, the doors had been ripped from their hinges, and not a single piece of furnature was left whole. Gabe, now in human form, and I rushed through the house, but finally had to face the fact that no one was home. Gabe was frantic, still searching the house when I took out my phone and started making calls. First to Jacob's cell phone that went to voice mail, and then to his wife, Catherine.

My conversation with her was brief and to the point. There was trouble. Gabe was fine, but Jacob was missing. We were going to find him, but she needed to go pick up the younger children, Reese and Marie, and go somewhere safe.

"No, don't go to my house," I said, emphatically. "If they know about Jacob, they might know where I live."

Once the call ended, I grabbed Gabe and gave him a shake. "Calm down. You're no good to me or your dad like this. We'll find him."

He swallowed hard a time or two, then nodded.

The pack started arriving moments later. Jason came in first.

"The blood-sucker's dead," He reported. "Gwendolyn and Lilah are staying behind to keep an eye on the fire, but everyone else is on their way back."

"Good," I said. I forced myself to stop and think. Gwen and Lilah were the two newest wolves, the least experienced, and if they were still at the site, that left me with 16 wolves.

I looked at the faces in front of me, ranging in expression from somber to frightened, and realized that we'd need help. Russell was the oldest at 19, and Chris was the youngest at 15. Everyone else averaged out at around 17.

_Christ, _I thought. _They're all just kids._

I couldn't ask them to do this, not with one of their own already in danger. We needed help, and there was only one other place I could think of to turn to for help. I took out my phone, and called the information directory.

"Hello, I need the number for Carlisle Cullen...Sorry, I meant Carlisle Williams," I said. "Yeah, go ahead and connect me."

The phone rang for what felt like forever. In reality, it probably only rang three or four times when it was finally answered by Esme's cheerful, "Hello."

"Esme, this is Bella," I said, figuring that it was pointless to use my new name. "I need your help."

Time had slowed to a limping crawl.

Esme assured me that they'd all meet at the border of the reservation's land in minutes, but I was beginning to feel panic set in.

Jacob hadn't shifted into wolf form for years. He'd made the decision to age and die with his wife, and I couldn't fault him for that...But damn, I hoped he was able to protect himself against Victoria and the unknown vampire, Alexandre.

Fianlly, I spotted the now familiar vehicles racing up the highway, stopping at the turnoff to the reservation. I ran to meet them.

I'd asked Esme for help, giving her a fast summary and she'd thankfully asked no questions. She'd pulled the "kids" out of their classes, Carlisle had given some excuse at the hospital, and here they all were.

"Bella," Carlisle said, leading his family to meet me. "Where would you like us to start?"

"Thank you," I said, feeling a little of the weight lift off of me. The Cullens were much more experienced at tracking and fighting. They'd help find Jake. "His house this way." I led them to the house where the Pack was still waiting impatiently.

The Cullens made quick work of searching the house, and were back outside in a flash.

"It's definately Victoria," Carlisle said. "There were two others with her."

I nodded. "That fits with what we were told."

"Speaking of what you were told," Emmett said, cracking his knuckles, "What happened to the other guy?"

"He's ash," I said, bluntly. "Up North."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "I knew you'd be a badass."

I ignored that. I wasn't ready to joke around with Jacob missing.

"Can you help me find them?" I asked, focussing once more on Carlisle.

"Of course," He assured me.

"This would be easier if I could see," Alice complained.

"So we do this the old-fashioned way," Edward said, turning to the mountains to the west. "Let's go."

As a group, with 16 young wolves following behind us, we started the trek to the mountains.

**Chapter 10**

We started going West, but ended up looping around to the North. We ran through the forrested areas, and finally it started thinning out as we got into the higher altitudes.

Massive caves were everywhere, and I began to worry that if Jacob had been taken to a cave, we'd never be able to find the right one.

Abruptly, the Cullens stopped. The wolves and I followed suit, as soundlessly as possible.

Again, I cursed the lack of tracking training or experience. Sure, I knew enough to find food, but what I really needed now were the skills to save someone I loved, and I was useless. We'd all stopped, but I had no idea _why._

There may be no love lost between the Cullens and myself, but I had to admire the way they worked so well together. They'd tracked Victoria this far, moving with the grace and instincts that only many (many, many) years of working together can accomplish. It was almost as if they were a single being.

They turned towards a large cavern ahead of us, and entered slowly.

I told the pack to watch our backs, and stay outside. Hopefully, they'd listen to me...I didn't think I could continue with this if I had to worry about more people in danger. I had enough to worry about with Jacob.

We made our way, slowly, through the twists and turns of a cave network that seemed to go on forever. In the back of my mind, I was wondering if I'd be able to find my way back out again. The tunnel narrowed until we had to proceed single file, the opened into a large domed cavity with a small opening in the top leading outside.

Just enough light had been let in from the open top for me to see Jacob sprawled in the center of the room. I couldn't tell if he were consious or not, but I could hear his heart beat and the air rush in and out of his lungs. He was alive.

I walked forward, ahead of the Cullens and shouted into the darkness. "Come out you coward!" I put as much anger and distaste into my voice as possible, trying to goad her into showing herself.

The Cullens slowly made their way towards Jacob, and I just kept shouting into the dark.

"What? You're so big and bad that you can only get your kicks by hurting one old man?"

Jacob was going to kill me later for that 'old man' comment, but I didn't care.

Edward and Emmett had slung Jacob's arms over their shoulders, and were carefully making their way back to the group.

_Damn it, _I thought. _Where is she?_

"Aww, what's the matter?" I was never fast with the creative taunts, but I _had_ to get her out in the open. It had to end. "Don't want to end up like _every other vampire_ you've been with? They're all dead, you know. They're dust." I wandered a little farther in to the center of the room. "That's some ability you have. Self-preservation, isn't it? You just keep living, while everyone else around you dies."

Nope, not good enough. "Now I wasn't around for Laurent. After he bit me I was a little busy elsewhere...But Emmanuel, wow, those flames are still burning."

Still nothing. Time to jab in the one place I knew would hurt her. "And then there was James. He wasn't as tough as he appeared..."

That one brought her out. One moment I was alone, the next I had a snarling redhead glaring at me from across the cavern.

"Ahh, there you are. I was thinking that you didn't want to play." I sneered.

"Playtime's over, little girl," She growled.

"This has been coming for a while," I said, getting low to the ground. "You're mine."

"Sure," she said, her voice ringing softly. She'd always had this clear, almost child-like voice that was such a contradiction to her fierce, fiery appearance. Her orange hair almost seemed to glow in the darkness, those blood-red eyes of hers taking in everything around her. "And I'm sure the Cullens here would just _love_ that."

"Not their choice," I said. "Not their fight. You've tracked me, tried to have me killed several times, you're the reason I'm a vampire and _now_ you've attacked the one person left on the face of the planet that I give a damn about. Them, help me? Nah," I smiled. "I don't need them. You're all mine."

She charged me then, and I threw myself forward to meet her. She swiped at my head, and I tried to kick her in the ribs. We backed off and circled each other slowly, each of us trying to assess the other.

She was definately more graceful, and I wasn't trained...but I also didn't follow any combat rules, and it seemed to keep her off balance.

The Cullens spread out in a circle around us, prepared to finish her off if I said the word. I had meant it when I said that this fight was just her and I...but if I didn't survive, I was counting on them taking her out.

There was a sudden commotion behind me, but I couldn't turn to see what it was. I assumed that a wolf or two had come to see what was going on, but I couldn't spare a glance.

I worried when Victoria suddenly smiled. "It's done."

Involuntarily, my glance flicked over to where the cullens were fighting a second vampire. Victoria pounced then.

For the second time that day, I found myself face down in the dirt with a vampire on my back. Roughly, she grabbed a handful of my hair, forcing me to look up at the fight going on.

No, it wasn't the fight she wanted me to see. It was Jacob. He'd been unconsious before, but he'd looked fine...Now he looked beaten, almost as if he'd been broken.

How stupid of me to have forgotten the second vampire. Victoria was too much of a coward to fight alone. Somehow he'd gotten the drop on us.

I let the anger that I'd try to keep contained loose. All the rage the I'd built up from being forced into this life, watching as one loved one after another died bubble up to the surface. The pain and lonliness that I'd suffered because of this psycho bitch hit me, and all I could think about was making sure that it ended with me.

She wouldn't get the chance to hurt anyone else.

I braced my hands and feet under me and leapt straight up. I was braced for the impact, but Victoria was in an odd position on top of me, so she was caught unawares when the celling suddenly rushed to meet her. The impact broke her grip, and I was able to roll away when we both hit the ground again. I didn't give her a chance to get up. As soon as my feet were under me, I rushed at her. She got to her feet and tried to catch me, but I just ducked and went through her into the wall. The impact brought dust and small fragments down from the opening in the ceiling, effectively blinding and dazing Victoria.

I saw my opportunity and grabbed two big handfuls of that lovely red hair and wrenched as hard as I could. With her body pinned to the wall by mine, she had no room to maneuver to soften the twist, and her head came off like one of those bad mannequins in the low budget zombie movies.

I moved back a step and let her body fall, still holding her head and let out a breath.

One minute we were fighting, the next it was over. Victoria lay broken at my feet.

"Bella," Carlisle called. "Come here."

I turned; forgetting the severed head in my hands for the moment, then tossed it across the cavern and ran to where Carlisle knelt at Jacob's side. I reached out and took his hand, "Jake?"

I could hear a high-pitched wheeze with every breath that he took, and realized that his breathing was ragged and not at all regular. His heart missed a beat.

"Jake?" I asked, frightened now. "No, damn it. You can _not_ leave me."

"Sorry, Bells," He said in a rough whisper. "Don't think I can...Help this one."

"Carlisle," I looked at the Cullen partiarch. "Please."

"Bella, I can't do anything here. He's not healing as he should. He's got a punctured lung, a few broken ribs, and probably more internal bleeding, but I don't have any of my equiptment with me. Even if I did," he put a hand on my shoulder, "We wouldn't be able to get him off the mountain in time."

I was shocked, "So, what? He's just going to die? You'll just stand here, and let him die?"

I looked at the rest of the Cullens, and none of them would meet my gaze.

"Not their fault. Not yours," Jake said, coughing and wincing.

"Can you change?" I asked him desperately. "Maybe you could heal that way."

"Can't. Been too long."

"We'll get you some help," I said, trying to keep myself together. I was going to get him help or die trying. "I'll get you down this mountain myself, if I have to."

"You won't have to," Edward said, stepping forward. "We'll help."

In a blur, they were heading back out the caves. I wasn't sure what they were up to, but they'd be back.

They _had_ to come back, I thought frantically.

There was a soft whine, and I looked up to see Gabe standing in the doorway. I motioned him to come closer.

He moved forward to lay at his injured dad's other side.

"This isn't bad," I said, not sure who I was comforting; Jacob, Gabe or myself. "What about when you were getting ready to change and thought you had some funky flu bug? The night we went to the movies? You looked really bad then. And the first time I caught a wiff of you after I turned. By all that's holy, man, I am _so_ glad I got used to that smell!"

Jacob chuckled and it was accompanied by a strange rattling sound. A sudden blossom of red appeared at the corner of his mouth, sending a sweet metallic scent into the air.

Blood.

_Damn it._

_"Where are they?" _I asked myself. _"Surely they wouldn't just disappear...again!"_

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind, then the Cullens returned. Edward and Emmett were each carrying a roughly 7 foot long piece of wood, about as big around as my arms. Behind them, the others that came in carried tarps and rope that they must have found in a house or cabin near by.

They worked together, forming something that looked like a stretcher. Thank the Gods.

"Hang on, Jake. It'll just be a little bit longer, and we'll get you back on your feet." I promised.

Once the stretcher was finished, I helped the Cullens to roll Jake on to his right side so that we could get him on the stretcher with as little pain as possible. Even then, Jacob cried out in pain at the movement.

We began our trek down the mountain, surrounded by the wolf pack and moving at such a slow pace that it was a slow torture for me. Every instinct screamed at me to hurry, but each step we took caused him so much pain, we were afraid to move any faster. I tried my best to keep him occupied, by teasing him about things from our joint past.

If I were completely honest with myself, it was to keep me occupied as well, but I was too scared to admit it.

"Remember that little town in Missouri that we lived in for a few years?" I asked. "We were so far from any big towns, that we could go to Wal-Mart and see everyone we knew at once? The hunting there was really good, though."

No response.

"Jake?" I asked, fear making my chest tighten. "Jake?"

"Put him down!" Carlisle said.

They laid Jacob on the ground. I rushed to his side, taking one of his hands. I'd keep him here out of sheer willpower if I had to.

"Jacob, what can I do?" I asked.

"Stop trying to crush my hand, Bells." He said quietly.

I immedaitely let his hand go. "Sorry."

"You never could control that," he said, sounding more tired than I'd ever heard him.

Carlisle was busy giving Jake a once over, but his face showed nothing. I had to remember not to ever play poker with this man.

Jacob's breathing was getting worse. There was a distinct whistle with every breath he took, and somewhere in the back of my brain...in a place I wasn't ready to acknowlege...I knew he was getting worse.

"We're almost there, Jake. Hold on," I begged.

"Bella," He said, turning his head toward me. "I'm not going to make it...down the mountain. You...know that."

"Like hell," I spit out. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I shrugged it off. "You're the only one who gives a damn that I'm alive. You promised you'd be here for me. There's no way in hell you're going to leave me here alone."

Jacob tried to respond, but ended up going into a painful coughing fit. Gasping for air, he reached out and took my hand in his once more.

He looked at someone over my shoulder. "Edward," He said weakly.

"No." I said firmly. "No way in hell. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt, remember?"

"Edward," He said again, "Please...Take care...of her..." More coughing emminated from him, and all I could do was wipe the blood from his chin when he'd finished.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me, Jake." I said to him. "Just concentrate on yourself right now."

"Bells," He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Please... Let it go. You've punished both you and him long enough…Think of it as.." he paused to take a pained breath "an old man's last request…Watch over all of the wolves…for me."

He gave his head the barest of shakes. He reached out with his other hand and placed a hand on Gabe's head.

I backed up to give father and son a moment.

Watching them together just then brought home the fact that this might be it. Jacob had never been truely sick or weak a day in the time that I'd known him. Suddenly, he was paler and more still than ever.

The wheezing was less prominant now, but his breathing was growing more ragged. His heart stuttered.

"No," I said, softly. "Not here, not now." Jacob should have died an old man, surrounded by his family and hoards of grandkids, and not on the side of this cold, god-forsaken mountain. "Please, no..." I begged...and I wasn't even sure who I was talking to anymore.

Jacob's death wouldn't kill me. The world would keep turning. The sun would rise and fall tomorrow.

But my friend, the only family I had left, wouldn't be here. For no other reason than because he was my friend. My family.

I don't know how long I stood there, surrounded by the wolves and looking over the mountains and valleys below, but when Jacob failed to take another breath and I heard Gabe start to cry I started to run. Not aiming for any particular destination, I just chose a direction and ran.


	7. Chapters 11 & 12

No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD

**Chapter 11**

Somewhere near the Canadian border, I stopped. Taking a deep breath, I let out a scream to try to alleviate the grief that weighed me down. It didn't help.

_What the hell are you doing? _I asked myself. I was running from hurt, pain and my responsibility. Turning, I spotted the three wolves who had followed me. I walked forward, and ran my hands through their fur. I'd always felt a special bond with Micah, Nathaniel and Avery.

Together, we started walking back the way we'd come, and the wolves gave me something else to think about for a while.

In the first year that I was a vampire and stayed around Forks, I'd spent a lot of time on the reservation among the wolves. Leah and I had had our differences, but in the end, we were too alike not to find a common ground. We'd both been "made into monsters", as she'd put it, and neither of us had had a choice. It was a little different for me, being that at one point, I'd wished for it, but it had come in such a violent and unexpected way that took any choice out of my hands.

Leah and I had become close friends. We'd confided in each other things that we'd regretted about our changes, the big one for her was that she was afraid that she'd never be able to have kids. She became more angry with each male pack member that imprinted, and not knowing what to expect for herself. Hell, no one had, being that she was the first female shape-shifting wolf in history.

A few years after Jacob and I had left, we'd heard that she'd been made an elder of the tribe in her mother's place. She'd gone to the neighboring Makah Tribe for some function or other, and she'd actually imprinted on a man there. She'd embraced the fact that she'd no longer have to change, and could choose to grow old. Two or three years after their marriage, she'd had a baby boy, and a baby girl followed not too long after. They'd held on to the Clearwater name so that she could remain in the tribal elder's position with a name that was so prominent in the Quileute's tribe.

From Leah's son, they got these wonderful twin boys, and both Micah and Nathaniel had the wolf gene. Leah's daughter married a man with the last name of Chase, and gave the wolf pack Gwendolyn.

Avery Aterra was a surprise to everyone, as she was officially the first female wolf to change since Leah. It didn't quite catch people by surprise as badly as Leah's transformation did, but it was still a shock. She was just barely 16, and in human form still looked like she was closer to 13. Pretty and petite, she was a happy-go-lucky thing who was fiercely loyal to her friends. She was hesitant to fight, but proved more than capable when asked to. Quil would have been proud of how she'd stepped up.

Jacob was...had been so proud of them all.

Jacob was dead, and that could hurt later. Right now, someone had to talk to Catherine and the kids. Make the funeral arrangements. Take care of the financial stuff. Take care of the pack business. I could take care of that.

I had more than enough time to do my grieving later.

I spent a while just watching the sun set over the mountains that Jacob had loved so much and remembering some of the close times he and I had shared through our long friendship.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, and began the trip back to the reservation.

The Cullens had helped bring Jacob back down from the mountains, and played clean-up with the vampire bodies there. Carlisle even offered to be the one to call Jacob's wife and tell her the news, but I couldn't let him do it.

In the end, I called and told her. It was, to date, the hardest thing that I have ever done. I comforted them as best I could, but I was still expecting someone to start pointing at me and screaming that it was all my fault that Jacob was dead.

No one did, and that almost made me feel worse.

Jacob would want me to make sure that his family was taken care of. I had more than enough money stashed away, and made sure that all the family's expenses were taken care of. I also insisted that Jake's kids have college money placed into their own accounts. They wouldn't have to worry or want for anything for a long time...and even then, I'd make sure to keep an eye out for them.

The service took place on a typical Washington rainy day. Both the Cullens and myself went to pay our respects, and afterward, we ducked out so that the Quileute tribe could continue their traditional ceremonies without our interference.

I walked slowly to my car, at a loss for the first time in a long time. _What should I do now? _Should I leave and start over somewhere else? Should I stay and try to watch over Jacob's family for a while? Could I stand seeing the almost accusing looks in Jacob's childrens' eyes?

And the pack...I couldn't be sure how they felt about the situation, but I didn't feel as if things could go on the same as they'd been.

I got into my car, and sat staring out the windshield. _What do I do now_?

A knock at my window tore my gaze from the road ahead. Turning, I looked at the group outside my window.

The "younger" Cullens were all there.

I opened my door, and stepped out.

Alice was the first to step forward. "Bella," she said, hugging me tight. "I'm so sorry."

I let myself be embraced. Laying my head on her shoulder, I accepted the comfort of an old friend. One by one, I felt more arms join us, and suddenly they were all there. Edward was at my back, his head resting on mine. Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie joined at some point, and I was fairly sure that they were the only thing keeping me on my feet.

I thought I'd understood what grief really was. I'd made it through my mother, father and even Phil's deaths. Yes, they'd been hard, but I'd known that they were going to die long before I would. I had prepared myself for it, and had said a sort of goodbye to them when I left what remained of my human life behind.

I'd never prepared myself for Jacob to be gone. He was my friend, my brother. The one who'd left everything behind to stay with me when I had no one else.

I'd let him down. He'd protected me, and I'd failed him.

He was dead...And all because of me.

Feeling like I was useless and a failure, I stood there in the circle of arms, wondering the same old question. _"What do I do now?"_

**Chapter 12**

I decided to stick around Forks for a while, mostly to keep an eye on Jacob's family and the pack. I had promised, after all, but I kept my distance. I didn't think I'd be able to make myself face the anger that they must be feeling, but I was still there watching.

I kept up appearances by going to school, but it was all so brain-numbingly routine that my mind sought out other avenues to occupy itself.

After the first week, Alice approached me at lunchtime.

"Hey, Ella," She said, using my alias. "We wanted to know if you could come have dinner at our place tonight."

I looked up in surprise. "Uh..."

She smiled sweetly at me, and added in a whisper, "Please. We have a new problem."

"Sure," I said, suspicious. What in the world could come up that they couldn't take care of?

It wasn't a great excuse, but puzzling over that was a way to occupy the rest of the day. Once school let out for the day, I made my way to my car. Alice didn't say what time to head over there, so I took the chance and went straight there.

Esme greeted me at the door, and led me in to the familiar living room. The walls were a new color, and the furniture had been updated, but it still had the same feel of welcome it had held for me so many years ago.

"You always did know how to decorate a house," I said, running my hand over the back of the love seat and admiring the plush feel. "This is wonderful, Esme."

She smiled brightly. "Thank you Bella. The others will be here soon. Make yourself at home."

Esme and I sat in a slightly uncomfortable silence while we waited. It was funny, really. I used to think of Esme as a mother figure. At one time, I had wished her to be a mother to me when I joined the Cullen family. Now, we were like polite strangers, struggling for something to say to each other.

Luckily, we didn't have long to wait. Soon, the house was full of Cullens, and every available surface had someone perched on it.

After a few minutes, I couldn't stand all the polite conversation anymore. "Not to break up what's turning out to be an interesting reunion," I said, "But why are we all here?"

Carlisle took the lead. "We weren't sure how to tell you before, Bella, but," He nodded towards Edward, "Edward received some information from Jacob, and it took some time to figure out what it meant."

I tried to ignore the sudden sharp pain in my chest at the mention of Jacob. "What do you mean that you got information from Jake?"

"Just before he died," Edward broke in, "He started passing information to me through his thoughts."

I laughed, bitterly. "What do you know, he actually listened to me back then."

When he looked confused, I clarified, "I drove him to distraction when I was first turned. I was moody, whiny and angry. I talked incessantly about your family and bemoaned the fact that I didn't get some cool ability like you. Like reading minds, or telepathy...telekinesis or _something_. If he was directing information to you, he must have been listening."

"In his defense," Emmett spoke up, "It's almost impossible to completely block out a moody female."

Rosalie smacked him in the shoulder hard enough that he almost fell out of the chair he was seated in.

"See what I mean?" He said ruefully from his new seat on the floor.

I choked back a laugh. "One of these days, Rosalie is going to seriously hurt you, and I hope I'm around to point and laugh."

He faked a cringe. "Ooo, harsh."

Edward sent his siblings a dark look. "He let me know that there was possibly a third vampire in the caves with them."

"Yeeeeah," I said, drawing out the word. "There was Emmanuel, who the wolves took out, Alexandre who you took out, and the red-headed psycho that I took care of." I'd been ticking off the names on my fingers, and held up my hand to show him, "That makes three vampires."

"No," He sighed, frustrated. "You were already dealing with Alexandre when Jacob was taken to the cave. There was another vampire there who Jacob didn't know. A female."

"Okay," I said, trying to get to the heart of the matter. "So, there's another female out there somewhere. What's the big emergency?"

"We didn't want to say anything until we were sure," Edward said. "But we think we know who she is."

"So you know her?" I was feeling a little confused. "That's good, right?"

"Not necessarily," Carlisle said, taking over. "Edward thought he'd recognized her, but Jacob's image of her was a little hazy. So, we wanted to check on a few things before bringing it to your attention."

"Bringing what?" Honestly, I didn't mean for it to sound annoyed, but it came out that way anyways. "Just give me the Cliff's Notes version please, and we can go from there."

Alice sighed and stood up. "Bella, there's a vampire that we know from the Denali clan in Alaska. Her name is Irina, and she'd gotten..._close_ to Laurent. She must have found out that you and the wolves had somethig to do with his death, and came this way. She must have seen how many wolves there were, and is on her way to Italy to report their existance to the Volturi."

"Volturi," I said, searching my memory. That name sounded familiar. "Who are the Volturi again?"

Carlisle got to his feet. "The Volturi are a coven of vampires in Italy," He began. "They are a force unto themselves. The members are all in possession of very powerful and sometimes frightening gifts."

"So, what," I asked. "They're the Vampire's version of the Boogeymen?"

"No," Edward said. "They have proclaimed themselves the keepers of Vampire Law."

"Vampire law," I repeated. "What laws do they have to keep?"

"There are many," Carlisle said, sounding resigned. "First, and foremost, is not to call attention to the existance of vampires. Hunting must be kept inconspicuous. We have to change locations often so as not to draw attention...well, those who feed on humans do. Our coven," He gestured to the family, "Not so much.""

"Well, we haven't done that one," I stated. "Next?"

Esme looked uncomfortable, "Newborns, when created, are to be trained before letting them out on their own."

I tried, sincerely tried, not to laugh, but it still came out as a snort. "Next."

"False witness," Rosalie said, throwing me a disgusted look...probably about the poor attempt not to laugh. "Regardless of the intent, it won't be tolerated."

"Immortal Children," Emmett said. "There were some vampires who created others out of young children. It ended...badly."

I shuddered at the thought. "Is there more?"

"Volterra, Italy," Alice said. "It's where the Volturi reside. There is to be no hunting in Volterra at any time."

I was confused. "How do the Volturi feed if there's no hunting there?"

Rosalie answered that one with her usual grace. "Tourists. There are a lot of tourists that simply go missing in Europe everyday. A surprising number just happen to be passing through Volterra, and they just never arrive at their destinations."

I stared, disbelieving. "And no one has connected the dots?"

"No bodies," Rosalie shrugged. "Prove that's where it happened. They get picked up in impromptu tour groups, the kind that don't keep records of the names in the tours, then the groups just," She waved a had dismissive, "Disappear."

I felt a little sickened by that. "Anything else you're not telling me? I still don't see why they'd be interested in coming here."

There was a moment of silence that filled the room. There was something that they were not wanting to tell me, and I was afraid I'd go insane before they told me.

"The Children of the Moon," Edward said, looking towards Carlisle.

Carlisle nodded slowly. "They were almost a legend when I was with the Volturi. They'd been hunted and killed almost to extinction. Those that are left, stay under their radar and manage to remain alive by the sheer ability to remain hidden. Any interaction with the Children of the Moon is strictly forbidden, other than to hunt and kill them."

"What are the Children of the Moon?" I asked. I was getting a little tired of felling so far out of the loop, it was frustrating.

"Shapeshifters," Jasper spoke up, his southern drawl almost musical compared to his other family members. "Unlike your wolves, the Children of the Moon resemble the werewolves from the movies. They change in response to the moon cycles, and are powerful enough to kill a vampire in a one-on-one fight."

Finally, the pieces fell into place.

"Terrific," I spat out. "So now these 'Law Keepers' are on their way here to, what? Kill all the wolves?"

Alice's expression was almost vacant. She was physically in front of me, but she was seeing something far away. "They are more interested in adding the Wolves as part of their collection. They've all but killed off the wolves in Europe, Otherwise I think they'd have tried it before. The wolves here are different. They'd be interested in a pack of wolves that already work with a group of vampires. The wolves would just be an added security measure for them, and an added threat to all other vampires."

I stared at her, a part of me wanted to deny what I'd just heard...and yet a part of me already knew. "They're really coming for the wolves? What if they refuse to go?"

Alice looked up, and met my eyes. "Then they'll kill them all."


	8. Chapters 13 & 14

**No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD**

**Chapter 13**

"Like hell!" I shouted.

"They will certainly try," Carlisle said. "And one way or the other, they'll set out to get what they want."

I ran angry hands through my hair. "Damn it, they...they can't!"

"Yeah, that'll go over well," Rosalie said snidely. "What, you think you can just walk up to the Volturi and tell them 'No'?"

I threw her a dark look. "I don't know what rabid animal you drank from," I snarled. "But back off."

Rosalie growled at me, a deep, throaty sound.

"All right, children," Esme said, stepping between us. "Enough."

Emmett got up to take hold of Rosalie's shoulder, effectively bringing her under control.

I had no such support system in place, and I was angrier than she was. I turned, storming out of the house. Once the door shut behind me, however, I was at a loss of what to do next.

I needed to protect the wolves, that I knew. I'd promised Jacob, and they were my friends. I couldn't just do nothing...but I was going up against a group of vampires that I didn't know.

A group of vampires that actually scared other vampires. How could I compete with that?

"They'd help you, you know," a familiar voice from beside me said. "All you have to do is ask."

I turned to face Edward. "And you?"

"I'll be there, but only if you want me to be."

I put my hands over my face, trying to find another way out of this mess. _Anything_ but asking the Cullens for more help. I'd spent so many years hating them for what I'd seen as their desertion...How could I go to them and ask them to put their lives on the line? To stand with me and to stand against what they told me were the most powerful vampires known?

For me.

For the wolves.

Then, again, how could I not?

I turned, and I was alone again. I walked to the door, hand hesitating on the knob. Turning it slowly, I re-entered the living room, and looked at the faces that were so familiar to me...and yet still so much of a mystery to me.

I steeled myself. "Please," I asked, "Please, help me save the wolves."

The next day found me still at the Cullens, and starting to train to fight. I was sorely lacking in that area, having never had to really defend myself before. Granted, I'd just taken Victoria out, but I was sure that was because I had the element of surprise on my side.

That, and a _lot_ of rage. Much of what had happened was still so much of a blur that I wasn't sure I could re-create any of it if I tried.

Thus, the training.

So far, Jasper had run me through my paces, and Rosalie had taken _way_ too much enjoyment in kicking me around.

They had graciously decided to give me a break (probably to go wash the dirt out of my mouth), and that's when Alice joined me. I finally got around to asking the question that had been burning in my mind. "How long do we have?"

"Two weeks." She said.

"Why two weeks? Why give us so much time?"

"They won't come straight here," She said. "They'll make stops and detour. They don't want to raise suspicion or gain the attention of anyone who could beat them here and recruit the wolves before they can."

"Makes sense, I guess."

"Don't knock it," She said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "This gives us time to prepare."

"Yeah, right." With a sigh, I got to my feet. "I've got to go. It's about time to go meet up with the wolves for training there."

"Go ahead," Alice said. "Jasper will be along in a little bit."

I nodded, and began the run toward the reservation. Once at the res, I met with the pack, all human, and began talking strategy.

Jasper joined us a few minutes later, pulling up in a mud-splattered jeep. Then the training began in earnest.

I was worried about all of them, but none more than Gabe. Gabriel Black was not handling his father's death well, and seemed to place all of the blame on me.

Not that I could blame him. _I_ blamed me. Gabe, however, was getting more self-destructive by the day. He was angry, reckless, and completely out of control. He was spending more time than necessary in wolf-form and running wild. I could tell he didn't really want any of us, the vampires, around...but we were the best choice for training that they had.

My days were split in half between the Cullens for Vampire fighting training, and the reservation for wolf training...and I only spent about a quarter of the time on my feet. I found myself having to get out of the dirt more often than not.

Jasper was a tough taskmaster, too. He had us doing drills, speed tests and sparring. There hadn't really been any objections to his doing the training, he really was the most experienced of us all, given his background.

Peter Uley had really stepped up his game as the Alpha, too. He'd even made a training time for the wolves to work with each other, whipping them into a more cohesive unit. Until now, they'd been pretty informal over who the leader was, but now it showed in Peter's observations and corrections. He was a good taskmaster with them as well.

Sam would have been proud to see the leader that his son had turned out to be.

There was only one rough moment when Jasper had to correct Cole for losing focus, and allowing his sparring partner to get behind him.

"You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times," he said. "Don't ever let a vampire get behind you in a fight. They could crush you..."

The words "like Jacob" hung in the air and seemed to place a shadow over us all.

We called a halt to the session then and there. The wolves seemed to deflate right in front of me, their desire to continue disappearing for the moment. Before they disappeared, I asked them to take the afternoon off, and go cliff diving or something else they'd enjoy. No use in them being miserable for the rest of the day and coming back tomorrow to train with it still hanging over them.

My phone rang just as the last of the wolves disappeared into the woods. It startled me, because Jacob was the only one to ever call me at this number.

"Bella," Alice answered my greeting. "We have a couple of visitors coming that you need to meet."

"Uh, o.k.," I stuttered. _Now what?_ I thought, but didn't dare ask. Sometimes I just didn't want to hear the answer or tempt fate.

Jasper and I rode back to the Cullen house in the jeep, Neither of us seeming to know who was coming...or if Jasper knew, he wasn't saying, the bum. We entered the house to find most of the Cullen family standing in the living room.

"Oh, good," Alice said, dancing to Jasper's side. She wove her arm through his in that sweet, familiar way that couples who've been together for a long time have.

I envied that, as I hadn't had that in a long time.

"You're just in time," Alice continued, either oblivious of my internal struggle or choosing to not acknowledge it. "They just got here."

I was about to ask who "they" were, when twin bell-like laughs came from the rear of the house. Edward entered the living room, smiling, with a woman on each arm.

Not just any women, these two were tall, super-model beautiful with the white-blonde hair that just screamed of a Slavic background.

"Bella," Esme said, sending Edward a look that I couldn't read. Ever the professional hostess, however, Esme went on with the introductions. "This is Tanya and Kate. They are from the Denali Clan, and Irina's sisters."

"Our family stays with them in Alaska whenever we need a change," Alice chimed in.

_'Fan-freaking-tastic,' _I thought, sarcastic even to myself.

"It's pretty easy to stay there for long periods and remain hidden from the humans," One of the sisters...Kate, I thought...said. "After all, we have limited daylight for 6 months, and the other 6, it's almost constant night."

"Hmm," I said, not really paying attention. I was still trying to figure out why they were here, and why the Cullens had welcomed them in with open arms. How could they do that, after the crap Irina was pulling?

And why was Tanya hanging on Edward like that?

"..here to help us," Carlisle had been saying.

Admittedly, I'd missed the beginning of what he'd been saying. I was busy watching the two blondes in front of me.

"I'm sure you have questions," Kate said, moving to the center of the group. "When we were told what Irina had done, and what you were facing because of her actions," She lifted her shoulders into a graceful shrug. "We had to come and see how to help."

"Irina was never the same after Laurent left," Tanya said, a small frown creasing her perfect face.

"Laurent?" Gods, I was tired of being left out of the loop...and I was amazed at how often Laurent's name popped up lately.

"Yes," Tanya said...still clinging to Edwards arm, I noticed. "Irina and Laurent became mates after he came to stay with us. He was doing well with the vegetarian diet, too. Then one day, he just left. He said that he needed to go help a friend of his, and we never saw him again."

"We were contacted a few months later, by his friend, Victoria." Kate said...and yes, I was tired of hearing Victoria's name, too. "She said that the Cullens and the Children of the Moon here in Forks were working together and had killed Laurent. Of course," Kate said with a smile, "We knew that to be a lie. The Cullens were with us at the time, so there was no way that they were involved."

"Even so," Tanya broke in, "Irina fixated on the shapeshifters. She left a few months ago, and we'd almost given up hope that she was still alive."

_Too bad for us_, I thought, angrily.

Kate was all business now. "Best we can guess, is that she'd met up with this Victoria," Kate all but spit the name, "and joined up with her group of misfits."

"Victoria probably sought her out," Carlisle said. "Alice has tried to trace her for years, but she's keeping to Alice's blind spots."

Alice nodded, "She'd never make the decisions on her own, so I had no mental trail to follow."

"So, the decision for Irina to go to the Volturi..." Kate started.

"She was offered the opportunity," I seethed, "But the choice to go was all hers."

Kate nodded sadly.

"So," Tanya said, finally letting go of Edward's arm, "we came to help our friends."

"Suuuuuure," I drawled out so that it was roughly ten syllables. I looked at Carlisle for a hint of how to proceed. "Now what?"

"Now," he said, looking into the faces of everyone in the room, "We begin training in earnest."

**Chapter 14**

Word began to spread that the Cullen family, the Olympic Clan, was planning on standing against the Volturi. No reason was given, and none would be given. Only those who pledged to help the family would be told of the circumstances. It was known, however, that the Cullens were not planning a fight. They were asking for help so that they had the appearance of numbers behind them...enough to make them stop and listen.

The Cullens had contacted as many of their friends as possible, all were close friends and trustworthy...or so the Cullens had told me. From there, the story had spread faster than a pregnancy rumor at a prom.

Vampires were coming out of the woodwork...almost literally...with more showing up every day. There were so many that I'd actually stopped trying to remember names after the first ten. I'd stopped counting after I hit twenty.

Lilah Littlesea and Gwendolyn Chase were my 'Guinea Pigs'. They acted as messengers between the vampires and the wolves by way of their mental link. They were the newest wolves to change, but they also had the friendliest dispositions. If that weren't enough, they were more than willing to be the first wolves that the incoming vampires met. They were definitely getting better at the rapid changing between forms as a result.

Jasper and I began encouraging both sides that we needed to train together to be effective.

...And so we trained, and sparred, and trained some more. When the wolves started coming to the house to train with us, we started drawing crowds of other vampires.

Two more vampires from the Denali clan had joined us, Eleazar and Carmen. They seemed nice enough, but I'd kept my distance from Irina's friends and family.

It was the trust thing again... I didn't trust them.

Eleazar, however, kept staring at me, like he was expecting something from me. He'd never said a word, just watched. For days now, I thought about approaching him to find out what the problem was, but convinced myself not to care.

And so I threw myself into the training wholeheartedly. And when I wasn't training, I was attempting to hide from a few specific vampires.

No matter where I was, or where I was going, everywhere I turned, there was Edward and Tanya. They seemed to be attached at the hip since Tanya's arrival, and it was starting to get to me. I was irritated...and I shouldn't have been.

She was always laughing at a joke, or playing with his hair, touching him or teasing him with some inside joke that only they knew the punch line.

Edward started out the week laughing and teasing her back...but lately, he was looking weary of the whole thing. Almost like he hated the attention.

Three days before the Volturi were supposed to arrive, my luck ran out. Tanya and I were thrown together to duel in practice. I couldn't say that the thought of getting some hits in on Tanya didn't appeal to me. Actually, just the thought of kicking her scrawny backside made me giggle a little on the inside.

The truth was, I wasn't a fighter. As hard as I tried, it was pitifully little, too painfully late.

Yet, there I was, facing off with her.

We'd been at it for almost half an hour, when a crowd started to gather. A few of the Cullens were there, Jasper and Emmett placing bets and Edward, of course.

Come to cheer on his girlfriend. How sweet.

Tanya noticed he was there, too. "Edward," She called out to him. "We're almost done here. Poor Bella here seems to be getting worn out."

_Me? Worn out?_

"After this," she almost purred, "Could you play something on the piano for me?"

Edward looked confused, then surprised.

_What had he seen in that little brain of hers?_

"I really liked that lullaby you played for me that one time," She said.

My blood felt like it was trying to boil, and my head felt like it was trying to explode.

Edward started shaking his head at her, looking a little panicked now. "I don't..."

_What in the...?_

"Oh, sure you remember," Tanya said breezily, waving her hand in the air dismissively. "It goes like this." She started to hum a slow, sweet melody and...

_That's MY song! This little she-devil in front of me knew my song! Edward's been playing her the song he wrote for me?_

Just when I'd convinced myself that he couldn't do anything else to hurt me, he does this. I didn't consciously move, but suddenly we were in the thick of it again.

Tanya's smile slipped a notch. _Good._

Time slowed, and suddenly I saw where every punch and kick was coming from before it connected. The fight moved us farther from the house, and closer to the woods, which was fine with me. Once on the tree line, we were able to use trees and the rocky terrain for leverage.

I actually managed to get some hits in, when she finally landed a kick on me. I stumbled, and that was all she needed.

She body-slammed me to the ground, pinning my body to the ground, and holding my wrists down with hers.

"Are you done now?" She asked, angrily.

"Not even close," I snarled. Pushing with all my strength, I threw her a good 10 feet. Enough of a distance for me to get on my feet.

"Good," she said, all serious now. "It's nice that you're finally showing some backbone. I felt like I was kicking a kitten for a while there."

"What?"

She dropped her fighting stance. "You're been angry, temperamental, brooding, and fighting the wrong people."

I lowered my arms, but not my guard. "You want to say something to me, just say it and be done."

"You were hurt, I get that," She said, frustrated now. "I even understand it. Edward's a jerk, and sometimes doesn't think about who he's affecting with his actions. He hurt you badly, leaving the way he did. They all hurt you. Can't you just get over it, and try to understand _why_?"

I tried to storm past her. I was _so_ not about to get all buddy-buddy with her and discuss my issues. Not about this.

She reached out and clamped a hand on my arm, digging in and not about to let go. I was going nowhere.

"Fine, you think you know so much about it," I raged at her. "Then talk."

"He still loves you." She stated this so quietly, I almost didn't hear her at first. "He loves you, and it's killing him that you're so close but so resistant to forgiveness. He left to save you," She gave me a little shake. "He wanted you to have a full life far from all the craziness that we live with every day. I saw him after he left, and it almost killed him to do it."

I laughed, humorlessly. "And yet, he still did it."

"Look," She said, "I know more about this whole thing than you probably want to know..."

"You're right," I wrenched my arm out of her grip. "I don't want to know. Besides, he had you to comfort him after, right?"

"Fine." She hissed back at me. "You don't want to believe me, fine. But something broke in him when he left, and it's never been fixed. Yes, we had a thing once, but it was before he met you. There hasn't been anyone for him since. You don't want to believe me, fine, but here's the truth of the situation; If he didn't care for you, if _they_," She gestured towards the Cullen's house in the distance, "didn't care about you, why are they still here? They're putting their lives are on the line, and it's not even for a situation that had anything to do with them. The wolves don't care about them, they don't care about the wolves. They _care_," she emphasized, "about you. About you being hurt."

I stopped and stared, dumbly.

Tanya turned, and started walking towards the house. Over her shoulder, she got in one last dig. "The sooner you realize what's really going on, what's really on the line, the better off we all will be."

**As a note, we were just trying to download the remaining chapters in this fic...but there appears to be a limit on the number of documents that can be applied here. /sigh Sooooo...sorry for re-posting all the chapters this way, BUT there was still too much to try to fit in here! (There's another 8 chapters until the end!) :) Thanks for the patience guys!**


	9. Chapters 15 & 16

**No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All my original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD**

**Chapter 15**

So the whole Edward and Tanya thing had been an act. Why? To get my attention? To make me react?

Well, they got it. I'd have to congratulate them later, if I found myself able to speak without wanting to seriously injure or maim someone.

I turned to look at the house. Edward's gaze never left Tanya as she walked towards him. He took her arm roughly and escorted her back in the house. Alice sent my a pitying look and followed after them.

There was still a good-sized crowd outside, and I just couldn't make myself face them. Not after what Tanya had just said. I was livid, and needed to let myself calm down before I opened my mouth and said something we'd all regret.

Keeping my head down, I walked a wide path to the side of the house. I jumped in my little car, and hit the road. Inevitably, I found myself turning down the road to the reservation.

I ran with the pack to hunt, and aided with the patrols for the rest of the afternoon. The number of wolves and the number of patrol shifts had doubled, just because of the sheer number of vampires in the area. They were keeping an eye on the reservation and running a wide path around Forks, watching over the residents there just in case one of the new vampires got a little overzealous.

I could have put their minds at ease on that point, but thought that they needed to practice being on alert. There were nightly trips to Seattle, Tacoma and some of the bigger cities in the area. For the time being, Forks and the reservation were off the menu, so to speak.

The sun began to set, and I felt restless. Too restless to continue patrols, I found myself wandering in the direction of Jacob's house. I'd promised Jacob and myself that I would take care of his family. I meant to keep that promise, come hell or high water.

I just wish I could have felt a little more sure about my reception there.

Marie met me at the door, having seen me walking down the driveway. "Bella!" She cried, launching herself into my arms. I carefully put my arms around her, consciously trying to keep a close watch on my strength so I wouldn't hurt her.

I liked to joke that Marie was the best birthday present Jacob and Catherine could have gotten me. Not only had Marie been born on my birthday, but she'd even been named after me. Actually, Jacob had teased me about naming her the full Isabella Marie but I'd begged him not to do that to his daughter. Instead, he'd chosen to name her Marie after my middle name.

I'd been touched.

Ironically, even though we'd never met in person until I'd come to Forks, I'd watched her grow up in pictures that Jake e-mailed me regularly. When we'd finally met in person, Marie had attached herself firmly to my side, and we'd been best buddies ever since...and she'd been the one person that I was afraid would hate me over Jacob's death. Instead, here she was, hugging me as if she was afraid that I was going to disappear.

"You've been gone," she complained.

How do you explain the feeling of being responsible for a loved one's death to a 12 year old? She was so young, yet there was a maturity in her eyes now that I was afraid I'd helped to put in there.

"Sorry kiddo," I said, playfully tugging on her ponytail. "I've been busy."

She nodded. "Mom's missed you. So has Reese."

"Well, let's go see them, shall we?" I said, turning her gently toward the house.

I sat through dinner with most of the family. Gabe was missing, but I was assuming he was on patrol. The kids were slightly more subdued than I was used to, but somehow they were still talking a mile a minute. Once dinner was over, homework complete and kids sent to their respective bedrooms, Catherine insisted that we sit and enjoy the warm night air on the front porch.

We sat together in a companionable silence for a while, Catherine playing with the stem of her glass of wine. Then Catherine broke the silence. "I was jealous of you, once upon a time."

That...well, that surprised me. There was no other way to put it.

"Jacob talked of you incessantly. I thought you'd be this hideous ex-girlfriend that was going to haunt my marriage," She said, smiling softly. "Then, just before we'd gotten married and he decided I was ready to hear it, he told me about the legends being true, the cold ones existing and that you were one of them. Great," she laughed. "Worse than being a psycho ex-girlfriend, you were this ageless beautiful being."

I snorted, disbelieving. "Jacob never said I was beautiful."

"Well, no," she admitted. "I filled in that blank area myself. And then when I started talking to you on the phone, and getting all those pictures from the places that you'd been," She huffed out a breath. "Well, it was either a very good photoshop job, or you really were that beautiful...and ageless. I think that's why I really started believing his stories."

"Really?" Now I was curious. I guess I'd never thought of how Jacob had told his family about me.

"Yeah," Catherine said, taking a sip from her wine glass. "It was different with the kids, though. They've grown up in this tribe, with the legends and Jacob telling bedtime stories of men who change into wolves and vampires."

We talked for a while about the kids. Marie and Reese were adjusting well...or as well as they could, under the circumstances. They were attending councelling sessions with a trusted therapist within the tribe in case they needed to talk about Jacob, the wolves and vampires. They were back in school already, seeming to find comfort in the stability and routine of the classes.

Gabe, however, was withdrawn, sullen and rarely at home anymore. His dad had been his hero, and losing him made him angry at the world in general.

More specifically, vampires. Just because they..._we_...existed, he was a "freak". He was caught somewhere between a wolf and a man...yet he didn't feel like he belonged anywhere. Then, ultimately, it was a vampire who'd killed his father.

I'd noticed an increased moodiness in Gabe, but hell, his father had just been killed. There were bound to be some personal issues for a while, right? Now that I know it was still there, and getting worse even among his family, I'd do whatever I could in order to help him.

I figured the best way to start was coming clean to Catherine. I told her the whole story of what had happened in that cave, including my part in it. I also told her of my guilt over what had happened.

Catherine listened patiently, and when I was finished, she slowly bent over to place her glass on the porch. When she looked up, I sincerely though she was going to slap me...Not that it would hurt _me_, but still...

"I knew about all of this," she angrily gestured to her surroundings, "before we got married. I knew about all the supernatural crap was going to be a part of our lives. I've always had a feeling that something like this was going to happen." She grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at her. "What happened was tragic, and hopefully I'll never have to face another loss like this in my lifetime. But don't you _dare_ hurt or cheapen his memory by taking the blame. He loved you, considered you his best friend and a member of the family. So do we. You didn't kill him."

"I didn't protect him," I cried.

"You weren't alone in that cave," she said, calmer. "There were others. More experienced others, by the way. The man that killed Jacob got past everyone. _He_ is the one responsible, and he's dead. He can't hurt anyone ever again, because of you."

"They came for him because of me," I said quietly.

"Do you think this would have been any easier if it had been you who'd been taken? Jacob would have moved heaven and hell, even if it killed him, to save you. I think we both know that he hadn't changed in too long. He'd have been human-weak trying to go after those vampires."

I laughed softly, "Yeah. That sounds like him. Loyal to the point of stupidity...and I told him that many times over the years."

"Yes, he died," She said, finally. "Yes, it's the hardest thing we, as a family, have had to face. But I'm not going to let you blame yourself for it. Jacob would have hated that."

After that, we sat in an easier silence, simply being there as a support for one another. Finally, I encouraged Catherine to go in and get whatever sleep she could before the kids got up for the day.

She went inside, deep shadows under her eyes showing just how little sleep she'd been getting lately. I decided to make it my mission to see that she got some rest today. I went inside, sat on the sofa and waited for morning.

**Chapter 16**

I stuck around long enough to fix the kids breakfast (cereal and milk, I could do that!) and get them to the school bus, all the while keeping as quiet as possible so that Catherine could get some rest.

After seeing the kids off for the day, I got in my car and drove back to the Cullen's house. Deep in thought, rather than go inside and deal with even more drama, I jumped onto a low-hanging branch of a Hemlock tree. It had started to rain as I was pulling in the long driveway, and now it was a light, but steady rain. I raised my face to the sky, reveling in the feel of the small drops hitting my face.

_'Not like I could catch a cold,'_ I thought. Then, deciding I'd dealt with enough emotional turmoil in the last few hours, I let my mind go blank and began the meditation technique that Jacob had taught me many years before.

One thing I had learned early on: Time holds little to no meaning anymore. When you're basically immortal, un-aging and don't need to sleep anymore, time because of little concern anymore.

That being said, I have no idea of just how long I sat there, trying not to think about anything. I must have been doing a great job of it, though, because I didn't hear it when someone walked up to the tree.

"Bella?"

It startled me, and for the first time since I'd become a vampire...I fell.

Strong arms caught me before I could hit the ground.

Startled, I looked up into a face that had haunted me for years. "What the..." I started, but stopped when I recognized it was Edward who'd caught me. I growled, "Put. Me. Down."

"No," he said bluntly. "If I put you down, you'll just run off somewhere."

Yeah, he was probably right. I'd give him that.

"I wanted to apologize," He said. "For Tanya. She was trying to help."

"Help? Help what...or who?" I asked, disbelieving.

"Me. You. Us." He shrugged, but at least had the good sense to look a little embarrassed. "She was trying to help me, mostly. I've wanted to apologize to you for, well, everything."

"Define 'everything'," I insisted.

"For leaving you like I did. For not being here to stop Laurent." He was sounding increasingly agitated. "For not being here to help you after you'd changed into a vampire. For not being able to save Jacob."

"You didn't even like Jake," I spit out.

"No," he agreed quietly. "I didn't like him simply because he thought himself in love with you. He'd been plotting on how to take you away from me, and it made me so jealous I couldn't see straight. For that reason, I didn't like him...But you did, and so I'm just that sorrier for what happened to him."

"What _did_ happen?" I asked. "Back in the caves, how did Alexandre get past all of us?"

"He had an ability that allowed him to completely mask his presence," he said. "We didn't hear, see or smell him at all. One moment, there was no one behind us, and the next he seemed to manifest out of this air. He stepped out of the shadows and grabbed Jacob from behind."

"I was hoping it was something like that," I admitted. "I was hoping that I hadn't been so intent on my own private fight that I failed to look out for Jacob."

Edward gave the barest of nods. "I admit, I was only watching you. The others didn't forget, and they were concentrating on watching our backs. And, yet, he still got around us."

"And now we've got another fight on our hands," I said. "Tanya's right. You should go. You should all go."

Edward finally put me down, setting me gently on my feet. "No."

"What?" I asked, confused. I'd given him an out. He and his family could leave. Be safe.

"I said 'No'." he repeated, emphatically. "I left you once before," he reached for my hand, stopped short and lowered his arm again. "I left you once before, but I thought I was saving you. I'm not going to leave while you and your friends are in danger."

"But," I started, only to be cut off.

"No," He said, clearly angry now.

"You want to stay, fine," I blurted out. "I can't make you leave. At least tell the rest of your family to go."

"I'll tell them what you said, but I'm pretty sure we're all committed to seeing this through."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Committed? To what?"

"To you," he said simply. "To your wolves. Also, to standing up to the Volturi. There are a large number of those who are here who want the chance to knock them down a peg or two."

"But they're so powerful," I protested.

"They've let it go to their heads," he said. "They're travelling half-way across the world to force their domination over beings that shouldn't even concern them. If they manage to recruit the wolves..."

"They'll just be that much powerful," I finished for him.

"Yes."

I sighed and leaned back against the tree. "What now?" Sadly, I didn't even know what situation I was referring to anymore. The Volturi? The wolves? Edward and I?

I didn't even know anymore.

"For now," he offered his hand out to me one more time, "Eleazar has been asking for you."

I hesitated a moment, but slowly reached for his hand.

Together, we made our way back to the Cullen house in silence.


	10. Chapters 17 & 18

**No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All my original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD**

**Chapter 17**

"A shield?" I asked, surprised. "What does that even mean?"

Eleazar looked at me with gentle eyes. "You, my dear, have a very rare, and very useful gift."

Carlisle looked at me assessing. "It makes sense."

"To you, maybe," I blurted out impatiently. "But to me, it doesn't make a bit of sense. I don't have a gift, remember?"

"You may think so," Eleazar said patiently. "You have spent much time away from your kind. Obviously, you were not trained how to identify and strengthen your strengths and abilities."

"That would explain why I could never read your mind," Edward said.

Eleazar seemed surprised. "Even as a human?"

Edward shook his head. "Even then, I wasn't able to read her thoughts."

"Becoming a vampire may have enhanced it," Carlisle suggested.

Again, I felt left in the dark.

"Let us try an experiment," Eleazar suggested.

Eleazar turned to the hallway and called, "Jean, Yselle, would you come here for a few moments?"

A few seconds later, a pair of the newly arrived vamps walked in. The male, Jean, had a short haircut that looked similar to Alice's style, only his hair was pitch black with blood red stripes in it. Yselle, the female, had shoulder-length honey colored hair, with seemingly random neon colored stripes haphazardly thrown in.

Ah, yes. I remember meeting these two, thinking they looked like a couple of kids that you'd see at an emo dance club.

"These two have very interesting additional gifts as well. The Volturi offered them both positions, but they politely refused." Eleazar continued.

I had to interrupt, "Wait...they _'politely refused'_? How did _that _work?"

Jean smiled at me, looking more feral than the wolves on a bad day, "That was due to our aforementioned gifts. I can mess with the memories of others at a distance, and my sister can….freeze things."

"OK…" I said, then turned back to Eleazar, "So, what's this experiment that you want me to do?"

Eleazar turned to look at Jean, who was staring intently at me. "Bella, would you be so kind as to tell me that vampire's name?"

Still confused I said, "Who? Jean-who-just-walked-in?"

Jean shook his head. "I don't understand it, but I can't even see her memories, let alone change them. It's as though she's got a wall around her mind."

Eleazar nodded. "Excellent, now Bella, please shake Yselle's hand."

I wasn't really sure what was supposed to happen, so I walked over and did as I was asked. What started as a normal handshake gradually became a death grip. Yselle was clearly trying whatever mojo she had on me. I noticed the floor under her feet and the table beside her started to frost over. After a couple of minutes of spreading frost, she finally let go and collapsed back against Jean, "I don't understand her either. She should be in the middle of an iceberg by now. That's some block you've got."

"Wonderful," Eleazar said, clapping his hands. He looked to Carlisle, "The Volturi have no knowledge of her? You're certain?"

"No," Edward said. "As you said, she spent her time until now separated from any other vampires. They'd have had no reason to be interested in one lone vampire who, even as a newborn, attracted no human attention."

"She may be our best weapon in this fight," Eleazar said. "The Volturi act first and listen rarely. If she is immune to their powers, they will not know how to react."

So they were all counting on me to be this big, scary secret weapon?

_Great. Just great..._

**Chapter 18**

What followed was a "war briefing" that would put any government to shame. I was suddenly surrounded by every vampire that we had in the house.

I furiously jotted down notes in a small notebook as a study guide, hoping against hope that I'd be able to remember what vampire matched what description and who had what powers.

Jane, of course, was a threat with her little china doll appearance and scary-as-hell ability. But as much as it pained me to admit it, she could only affect one vampire (and a wolf...although we were only theorizing that the wolves would be affected) at a time.

My main goal, as I saw it, was Alec. He had the ability to completely numb one's senses all at once. We'd be essentially made deaf, dumb and blind to everything around us, and they'd be free to do whatever they'd like with us.

We were still going on the assumption that their abilities wouldn't work on me.

If he couldn't affect me, maybe I could take him out so that the others could fight...or maybe at least I could distract him.

I didn't tell anyone my plan of action, knowing that they'd protest and we just didn't have the time. They had to be free to keep fighting if something happened to me.

Ever since I'd been told that the Volturi were on their way, and just how powerful they were, I'd known that there was a chance that I could die. I was prepared to fight to save the wolves, and now I'd fight to save the vampires who'd come to our defense as well.

That being said, I had to acknowledge that I wasn't a good fighter, and prepare for the worst.

If Alec worked his mojo, and it really didn't affect me, then it would be me against all of the Volturi. There were at least 6 coming; Aro, Caius, Marcus, Jane, Felix and Alec. There was _no way_ I was going to be able to take them all on and win.

So, I chose my battle. Alec was my target. If I had the time, I'd go after Jane. The rest of them, scary enough as they were, were not as troubling to me.

Perfect. I practiced with my new-found ability all day, being paired up with the strongest vampires with abilities. After every failed attempt to get through my shields, I felt my hopes for my plan rise.

I was encouraged to try and expand my shield to cover others, but I couldn't figure out how. The Volturi were due to arrive in less than 24 hours, and we simply didn't have the time to experiment with it anymore.

Alice had finally managed to pin-point the location that the Volturi would be arriving, and we were as ready as we'd ever be. They would be arriving in _The Meadow _just after the sunrise.

_'Fitting,' _I thought. It was there that I began my life as a vampire...

...And it was there that it might end.

We arrived at the meadow a little over two hours early. The vampires ended up splitting off into small groups, although it was mainly in pairs. The couples wanted to their time with each other, and I couldn't blame them. More than anything else, however, it showed me that all the positive thinking and encouraging words had been for show.

We were all worried...and it seemed that we all had similar doubts. Realistically, I don't think that any of us thought we'd walk off of this field.

I spent my time sitting with the wolves...and, yes, with Edward too. Knowing that you may be killed soon kind of put things into perspective. I found all of my bitterness and anger was useless to hold on to, and I wanted to be near him. So there we sat, talking softly in the center of a large pack of familiar forms and scents.

Edward and I spoke of all the places we'd been, and the changes that we'd seen. Idly, I ran my hands through the nearest wolves' fur. On my right sat Gwendolyn, small and brown colored. Lilah, the petite and thin female who was almost a dark blonde color, sat on my left. I loved the familiar feel through my fingers.

The wolves had really come together in these last weeks. Any of the petty sibling-like squabbles had been set aside, and they'd trained to be one large, functioning unit.

Gabe was still broody and stand-off-ish, but with the impending fight, there simply hadn't been time to deal with it. Especially since he'd been avoiding every vampire...including me.

Still, angry or not, he was there, and that was all that mattered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice rise to her feet. The other vampires followed suit. Edward rose, and held out his hand to me in order to help me to my feet.

And then, I knew...

...We were out of time.


	11. Chapters 19 & 20

**No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All my original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD**

**Chapter 19**

Edward held out his hand and helped me to my feet. It wasn't that I couldn't get up on my own, but it was nice having a hand to hold at a moment like this.

Slowly, reluctantly, I turned my gaze from his familiar face in the direction of his and faced the foggy field ahead of me.

Slowly, as if it was so routine that it had become an unconscious habit, they appeared. They seemed to simply separate from the mist, as if they'd always been a part of it and suddenly decided to make themselves visible.

It was almost a beautiful, dream-like scene.

I was terrified.

They had no expressions on their faces, and if they were surprised to see us they weren't showing it.

Slowly, I ran through my memory and tried to match the descriptions and names I'd been given to the group in front of me. I'd done the best I could, but there was an extra female that I couldn't place. She was tall, super-model thin, had white-blonde hair and gold eyes. She was also the only one who showed any kind of emotion...it was a toss up between fear and shame.

Ah, yes. Irina. The traitorous wench.

"What have we here?" a male, Aro, asked.

"Yes," one of the other men, Caius, said. "Our purpose here has no business with our kind."

Carlisle, ever the mediating peacemaker, stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Greetings to the Volturi. We are honored at your presence."

Aro seemed to perk up at the show of reverence. "Carlisle, my old friend. We have not seen you in many years, but are happy to see you again."

"But why are you here?" Caius broke in.

Carlisle, smart as always, looked his friends in the eyes.

And he lied.

"Word travels," he said, smoothly. "We had heard that you might be passing through, and we were anxiously awaiting your visit."

The smaller female, Jane, frowned. "But why are you with them? She motioned to the wolves.

"Ah, yes," Aro said, as if he'd just noticed the almost horse-sized wolves. "That is curious."

"They are all proud warriors from the nearby Indian tribe," Carlisle said. "They are our friends and allies. I thought it was only right that you should finally be introduced."

"Allies?" Aro said, an exaggerated look of surprise on his face. "Friends? Surely, you haven't been away from us for so long that you've forgotten that any contact with the Children of the Moon is forbidden."

"I have not forgotten the laws," Carlisle hurried to assure them, "However, there wolves are not Children of the Moon."

"Interesting," Aro said. "And why would you say that?"

"Children of the Moon are created, much as we were through bite and claw punctures." Carlisle stated. "These wolves were not."

"How so?" Caius asked.

I think he was actually curious. His voice held genuine puzzlement, where none of the others had.

"The wolves of the Quileute tribe are born with the ability to change to a wolf form." Carlisle said. They come in to their abilities when Vampires are near. It has been that way for generations."

"Hmm," Aro said, thoughtfully tenting his fingers under his chin. I could almost hear the wheels in his mind turning.

Edward didn't look very happy with what he saw there.

"They hunt vampires, do they not?" Jane asked in her musical child-like voice.

"In the past, yes," Carlisle admitted. "But only in the defense of themselves or those under their care. As you can see," He gestured to the wolves around us, "they have not attacked us, or you."

"This generation of wolves has had no reason to," Esme said.

"Until now," said an angry voice from behind us.

I recognized the voice, but still hoped I was wrong. I turned my head to see Gabe, in human form and clad only in denim cut-off shorts. I hadn't noticed him leave, and certainly hadn't seen him walk back on the field as a human.

_'Damn it,' _I thought. All we needed was an angry teenager mouthing off to the big, bad vampires and undoing all of Carlisle's carefully planned maneuvering.

I could see my thoughts reflected on the faces of the vampires around me.

"Who is this?" Aro asked, irritated.

"This is one of the wolves," Carlisle said, recovering quickly. "His father was killed a few weeks ago because of a grudge that was held by a female vampire named Victoria."

"A grudge, you say?" Aro asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Carlisle said, nodding sadly. "Victoria held a grudge because of the deaths of her clan mates. First, her mate, James, was regrettably killed because he'd tracked and attempted to kill a friend of ours who was under our protection. They had been told of this fact, yet James insisted on attacking." Carlisle breezed over the fact that it was me, and I'd been human at the time. "In an attempt at retaliation, she'd sent her other clan mate, Laurent, here to continue her bid for revenge. Laurent was attacked and killed by the previous wolf pack, in defense of themselves and a friend that he'd bitten."

"And did that 'friend' turn, or did the wolves attack their friend as well?" Caius asked.

"She is here," he motioned me to step forward. "Bella was able to complete the process, and with the help of the wolves, she survived and has become the lovely vampire that you see before you today."

"I see that she shares in your...strange diet," Aro said.

"Yes," Carlisle said. "As a human, she was a very good friend of our family, and it was because of us that she'd gotten tangled up with Victoria, James and Laurent. She'd become aware of our existence, and kept our secret. As a result, she didn't know any other way to survive."

Pretty words, glossing over such a crazy situation, but...it was working, I hoped.

"I'm afraid that you have made this long journey because you were passed information that was untrue," Carlisle said. "Victoria had begun recruiting other vampires in an effort to finally get the revenge that she'd wrongfully sought for so long." Carlisle pause for a moment before continuing, "I'm afraid that Irina may have unknowingly passed on false information that Victoria had fed her, in order to raise enough curiosity for you to travel such a great distance and do what Victoria could not."

"Is this true?" Caius demanded, turning to Irina.

Irina was definitely showing her fear now, and I could only guess at what was going through her mind. She'd been lied to and convinced to go to the Volturi. It was possible that she'd never even seen the full pack of wolves until now, yet she'd gone to report their large number to the Volturi.

And now, when it was too late, it was becoming painfully obvious that she'd been used. She was an expendable pawn in Victoria's twisted game.

Irina spoke softly, "I only wanted to tell you of a possible threat that I was led to believe existed."

"We do not take matters like this lightly," Jane said harshly. "False witness is not tolerated, no matter the reason."

Tanya and Kate let out soft gasps behind me.

I looked around me, and all of the vampires suddenly had rigid postures and somber expressions. That alone was enough to let me know that something really bad was about to happen.

I saw the Volturi surround Irina, and moved my gaze to a point above them all. I didn't close my eyes, out of showing weakness to the Volturi, but I really didn't want to see what was about to happen.

I heard a high scream that was cut off abruptly. There was the sound like you'd get by grinding stones together, then almost a shattering. There was an almost cartoon-ish, unrealistic sound like a "whoosh", and I could see the tops of flames.

I slowly moved my gaze downward, and saw the fire engulfing Irina's remains.

It was over for Irina, but I had a feeling that our fight was about to begin.

**Chapter 20**

"Now then," Aro said, absently moving his hands as if he was dusting them off. "I must apologize for our being led here under false pretenses."

I felt myself tense up.

"However," he continued, "I'm afraid that we must discuss the presence of these unique wolves."

"They are a cause for concern," Caius said.

"Only if we're given a reason to attack," Gabe interjected.

Peter turned and snapped at him, probably telling him to be quiet.

I wanted to do the same. What was going on with him? Didn't he understand what was at stake here?

...Or did he just not care.

"You have been given a reason," Jane reminded everyone. "Your father was killed. You're obviously still very angry, and who knows what you'll do when approached by a vampire."

"Yes," Aro said. Turning, he faced the one vampire I'd hoped not to hear from. "Alec? If you would?"

I could almost see the dark wind that blew toward us, and there was almost immediately a change in the group. The vampires' expressions all went blank, their eyes vacant. It was as if they'd all fallen asleep standing up.

Gabe and the wolves were affected too. They gave off soft whines, them most of them simply laid down where they'd stood.

I tried for a blank expression of my own, and knelt down between two of the wolves. I put a hand on each of their backs for comfort, not sure if they'd even know I was there.

I listened to the Volturi discuss their plan.

As Alice had told me, they wanted to recruit as many of the wolves as possible. Those who didn't go with them would be destroyed.

That angered me, but I'd been expecting that much.

Then the topic of the vampires came up, and I listened quietly. Alice had said nothing of the vampires being in danger...but then, I'm assuming that's because they'd only _just_ made the choice. Alice couldn't see the decision before now, because they hadn't known we'd be there.

_Oh, crap..._

Aro wanted the chance to touch each and every one of the us to see what abilities we possessed. If they were powerful and useful enough to be of use to them, they'd be recruited to the Volturi Clan.

If not, well it was a loss, but if we wouldn't go gladly with the Volturi then we'd be killed.

Their reasoning for these actions seemed to be that they couldn't allow a large group of vampires to get away with their treasonous actions. Questioning the Volturi was unheard of, and might give other vampires ideas.

I couldn't let Aro get near us. Edward and Alice's powers alone would make powerful additions to the Volturi...and they'd become the things nightmares were made of. I'd joked about them being the Bogeymen of the vampire world, but that implies that they were only stories to frighten the little vampires with in order to have them straighten up and fly right.

If they got a hold of some of the vampires here, they'd be able to wipe out entire covens with little effort at all.

The longer the conversation went, the angrier I was getting. Suddenly, I felt like my anger was an actual, physical thing as it surrounded me. I felt my shield start to expand, almost as if I were in the middle of a large bubble. I could feel my shield as if it had always been a part of me.

It was suddenly pliable. This is what Eleazar had been speaking of!

I had to try.

I concentrated and "pushed" at the sides of my shield. It gave enough to encompass Gwendolyn and Lilah beside me, and I felt the moment they were inside my shield.

They both huffed out a breath, and turned to look at me.

"Shh," I whispered as quietly as I could and still be heard. "Be still."

They turned forward, lowering their heads to their paws once more. I continued to coax my shield around the pack. One by one, I felt them wake from whatever kind of senselessness that they'd been in. Lilah and Gwendolyn must have been passing on the information that they needed to be still, because none of the wolves moved.

As much as it pained me, I held off on adding Gabe to the shield just yet, not sure what he'd do if he had all his senses back right now. Better safe than sorry, I focused my shield in the other direction now. Slowly, the vampires were brought under my shield.

Edward was standing close enough to me, that he'd been able to put a hand on my back without being seen by the Volturi.

_"Good," _I thought. _"At least this is working."_

"Yes," Edward said very quietly, answering me as if I'd spoken out loud. "Keep it up "

I nodded, afraid to speak. I didn't want to think or say anything that might break my concentration on my shield. I stared straight ahead, straight at the Volturi where they stood, plotting.

I tried to center my thoughts, calm myself so that I could better hold my shield. A line from the last movie I'd seen with Jacob popped in my head, and I started reciting it to myself.

_**"It's every one of us who holds the power over the worlds we create."**_

The discussion seemed to be winding down, the Volturi's decisions made.

_**"Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us, and at the same time sings that we never die?"**_

Their group turned, starting to advance upon us.

_**"Who teaches us what's real, and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live, and what we'll die to defend?"**_

Who was going to make the first move?

_**"Who chains us, and who holds the keys to set us free?"**_

Alec was coming forward, I only needed him a little closer...

_**"It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight."**_

With that, I gave the final push that would encompass everyone that was on our side. I raised my head and glared at these vampires who'd basically just plotted and planned on killing everyone here, and shouted, _"Stop."_


	12. Chapters 21 & 22

**No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. All my original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD**

**Chapter 21**

Later, I'd wonder who was more surprised, myself or the Volturi. I felt Alec raise his powers a notch, saw the shadow of his power push against my shield.

My shield held, and he couldn't get through.

Jane tried then, or at least I assume it was her. She couldn't get through either, much to my relief.

Suddenly, the vampires and wolves surrounded me. They were so tightly packed, that I couldn't even see through them to what was going on. I could hear them, though.

"What is the meaning of this?" Aro roared.

"We have a shield," Eleazar informed them. "A very powerful one, it seems."

"We didn't come here to fight you," Carlisle said. "We only wish for you to listen to what we have to say."

"Then speak," Caius said.

"These wolves pose no threat to us, you or anyone else, unless they are threatened." Carlisle said.

"As long as vampires keep to the laws that you set,avoid hunting in this area," Edward said, "and stay off of their ancestral lands, they will have no reason to hunt our kind."

"We will have to think this through," Caius said. "We have been given much to think about this day."

"If you will humor us if we make two requests?" Aro asked.

"We will do our best to fulfill any reasonable requests." Carlisle said, cautiously.

"First, we would like to meet the one responsible for such a powerful gift," Aro said.

I couldn't help feeling that this was a _bad_ idea. Not to mention the fact that there were still two distinct powers pushing against my shield.

"We will gladly introduce you," Edward said, "But first, you must tell Jane and Alec to stop trying to get through the shield, and I will make the proper introductions."

"A reasonable enough request," Caius said, nodding.

Aro must have agreed, because he turned to the two vampires in question. "Alec, Jane, you may stop. You're being rude." He was saying this as if he hadn't been the one to order them to start.

The pressure that had been pushing against me suddenly disappeared. It happened so quickly that I almost fell face-first to the ground from where I was kneeling.

Edward caught me, then helped me to my feet. I was still keeping the shield in place, I wasn't stupid enough to drop it completely until they were gone.

Slowly, I was led to the front of the group, and faced the Volturi.

"This is Isabella," Carlisle led the introductions.

"And is she one of yours?" Aro asked.

"Yes," He answered firmly. "She is a member of our family."

Aro nodded, satisfies with the answer given, apparently.

"That is a wondrous gift that you possess, my dear." Caius said. "Tell me, were you aware that you were able to do what you have accomplished this night?"

I shook my head. "I didn't even know that I had an ability at all until a few days ago."

"That is wonderful," Aro said. "To cultivate that much power in so short a time. Amazing, truly. It will be interesting to see what you make of yourself. We will be watching for you, Isabella."

I was unsure of how to respond to that, so I kept quiet.

"Your other request, if you please?" Carlisle reminded them. I was hoping that it would take the focus off of me for a while...I didn't relish the thought of the Volturi hanging over my head anymore.

"We would like the chance to get familiar with these wolves," Aro said.

"And how would you like to accomplish that?" Carlisle asked.

I was afraid I already knew the answer.

"Why, we would have to insist that they come to Italy with us," Aro said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We have been far away from home for far too long as it is."

I was already shaking my head. There was no way in hell that any of the wolves would go with them...

"I'll go."

If it were still possible for me to get whip-lash, I'm fairly certain that I'd have given myself just that.

"Gabe," I called, "You don't mean that."

"Yeah, I do," He said, looking me in the eye. "What have I got to lose?"

"A lot, actually," I snarled.

"If I go with you," Gabe asked Aro, "Will you leave the rest of the pack in peace?"

Aro pondered this for a moment, then agreed. "Yes. However, if more wish to come with us, they are welcome."

Gabe nodded, and walked forward to stand with them.

"Gabe, please," I begged. "Please don't do this. What about your family?"

"My dad's dead, and everyone else would be better off if I'm not around," He said, bitterness beyond his years tingeing his voice.

"What?" I asked, stunned. I probably would have said more, but Edward gripped my arm tightly.

"Stop," He said, quietly. "Let him do what he feels he needs to do."

I turned panic stricken eyes on him.

"They have no plans to hurt him." He nodded towards the Volturi, "They honestly want him around to learn more from him."

I didn't care. I wasn't going to just let him walk into this without a thought to the consequences.

"He knows what he's doing, Bella," Edward assured me.

I wasn't so sure but, damn it, the deal was done. Gabe had made up his mind, and that was all there was to it.

For now.

Satisfied at his newest acquisition, Aro turned to walk from the field. The others followed, but not before Jane and Alec gave me one last angry glare.

Just two more members of my fan club. Goody.

The Volturi melted into the mists that they'd come from. At the last moment, Gabe turned to me. From across the field, in no more than a whisper, I heard him say, "I'm sorry. Tell mom, Marie and Reese that I love them."

Then he, too, was gone.

I held myself together until they'd gone completely from the field. I dropped my shields, and felt them close back on me like a rubber band being released. The force of the shield snapping back into place, that and losing Gabe, finally took me to my knees.

Edward was there, holding my tightly. "We'll get him back, Bella," He whispered to me. "I swear, someday, we'll get him back here, where he belongs."

I nodded. Gabe had done what he felt he had to do, and because of him, the other wolves would be safe.

And we, the vampires, would be safe.

...And all I could think about, was that I was going to have to tell Catherine, Marie and Reese that another family member was lost.

**Epilogue:**

After, we could only guess at the reasoning behind the choice he'd made but Gabe's reasons for leaving was still unknown. Whether it really was for the protection of his pack, or for the protection of the whole group, we didn't know. The moment he'd made the choice to go with the Volturi, his mental link with the pack had been severed, so not even the pack here knew what he was thinking.

My guess is that, his anger towards all things vampire was a driving force...kind of a keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer thing. Maybe he was trying to get a better idea of how things were run in the vampire world.

Catherine didn't take the news well. She was still dealing with Jacob being gone, that losing a son for who knew how long, seemed to break something fragile inside her. The kids were having a rough time dealing with it as well. I didn't know how to help them after that, and actually feared making things worse.

Once again, Catherine insisted that I not take the blame for Gabe's actions. For all of our sakes, I sincerely hoped that was true.

That being said, I _had_ promised to take care of Jacob's family, and the best way that I could do that was to stick around as long as I could. I secretly paid off most of the house, and had the bank send them a notice that they were "lowering the payments"...and the next time she made a payment, it would be paid off. I approached the grief counselor that they'd been seeing since Jacob's death, and took care of those bills as well. I left my information with the doctors, requesting that all further bills come to me.

I stayed in Forks for almost ten years, going from high school to the newly opened junior college there. Edward insisted on staying with me, even as the rest of the Cullens moved on to keep up their appearances.

Together, we worked with the Black family, mending their hearts as best we could, and eventually they were mended as best they could.. Marie and Reese finished high school, and because of the scholarship fund that had been set up for them by a "distant relative", they had the chance to go to the college of their choice.

After a couple of years after leaving, Gabe started sending letters home. He'd even called a time or two. He never mention why he'd left or where he was, but always wanted to know how the family was doing.

We eventually had to leave, choosing to join the rest of the Cullen family in Alaska. I was an "exchange student" staying with the family, and Edward was a "cousin" who'd been orphaned.

The rest of the pack eventually imprinted, married and had babies of their own. The next generation of possible wolves were looking great, and I was keeping in touch with most of them.

Edward and I are still working on our relationship. I'd like to say that we were back to where we might have been had the intervening years hadn't happened...but we're still working on it. What can I say? I really wish I were able to just forgive and forget...but I was never very good at forgetting things easily. I still liked to bring it up on special occasions...like in the middle of an argument that I _really_ want to win.

I did find that Edward could hear my thoughts if he were actually inside my shield, so I will occasionally drop it. It comes in handy sometimes...and it's a good way to truely frustrate him when I won't let him in. I find it a good way to keep him in line.

What the future will hold from this point onward, I don't know. I do know that I'm grateful to have the Cullens as friends and my "new" family. It was nice to finally be around other vampires.

I keep holding on to the hope that someday Gabe will want to return to Washington. If he does, I'll run all the way there if I have to to welcome him back.


	13. Author's Note

**No matter how many stars I wish on, I don't own Twilight or its characters, darn it! Twilight and its original characters are property of Stephanie Meyer. The quote contained here is from 'Sucker Punch', copyright 2011, Warner Bros. Pictures et al. I'd made a reference to this speech in the last chapters, and wanted to share the whole monologue with all of you. All original characters (Not many of them, but the few that are here) are the result of too many late nights and too many energy drinks! :) Take care all! ~AD**

**Author's note:**

I wanted to take this moment to send a special "Thank You" and give credit where credit is due...

Abby P: Thank you for all the late night brainstorming, encouragement and for the use of your name...at least the first half of it! ಠ_ಠ I only wish I could tell you how much I enjoyed working on this with you...even if we both ended up sleep deprived because of it!

Carl D: Thank you for helping me write those fight scenes, the spelling corrections and the late night chats...and for humoring me while I got lost in Twilight Land. Again. I love you hon!

And finally, for those of you still reading, I made a reference to a movie in the previous chapters. If you haven't seen the movie "Sucker Punch", and you really should, here is the entirety of the quote that I'd used. Enjoy!

"Everyone has an angel, a guardian who watches over us. You can't know what form they'll take. One day old man, next day little girl. But don't let appearances fool you. They can be as fierce as any dragon. Yet they're not here to fight our battles, but to whisper from our heart, reminding that it's us. It's every one of us who holds the power over the worlds we create. We can deny our angels exist, convince ourselves they can't be real, but they show up anyway in strange places and at strange times. They can speak through any character we can imagine. They'll shout through demons if they have to. Daring us, challenging us to fight. And finally, this question; The mystery of who's story this will be, of who draws the curtain. Who is it that chooses our steps in the dance? Who drives us mad? Lashes us with whips, and crowns us with victory when we survive the impossible? Who is it that tells all these things? Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us, and at the same time sings that we never die? Who teaches us what's real, and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live, and what we'll die to defend? Who chains us, and who holds the keys to set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight."

~Baby Doll, from the movie "Sucker Punch"


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